Dynamic Variation of Kidney Injury Molecule-1 Mrna and Protein Expression in Blood and Urine of Renal Transplant Recipients: A Cohort Study Publisher Pubmed



Keshavarz Shahbaz S^{1, 2} ; Pourrezagholi F³ ; Nafar M³ ; Ahmadpoor P³ ; Barabadi M² ; Foroughi F⁴ ; Hosseinzadeh M⁵ ; Yekaninejad MS⁶ ; Amirzargar A^{2, 7}
Source: Clinical and Experimental Nephrology Published:2019

Abstract

Background: Acute renal dysfunction still constitutes a highly significant obstacle to renal transplantation outcome. Kidney injury molecule-1 is highly upregulated in proximal tubular cells and shed into the urine and blood circulation following kidney injury. The aim of current cohort study was to evaluate the urine KIM-1 (uKIM-1) mRNA expression level and its protein concentration in blood and urine samples to determine whether sequential monitoring of KIM-1 in renal allograft recipients is a reliable biomarker for predicting the clinical status and outcome. Methods: Both uKIM-1 mRNA expression level and the level of serum and uKIM-1 protein concentration in the 52 renal transplant recipients were respectively quantified using real-time PCR and ELISA methods at 2, 90 and 180 days after transplantation. Result: KIM-1 mRNA and protein expression level in the blood and urine samples of patients with graft dysfunction was significantly higher than patients with well-functioning graft on days 2, 90 and 180 after transplantation. Receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis of mRNA and protein expression levels showed that urinary and blood KIM-1 at months 3 and 6 could predict acute renal dysfunction at 6 months and 1 year after transplantation. Conclusion: Sequential monitoring of uKIM-1 mRNA expression level and its protein concentration in the serum and urine samples of renal transplant patients suggests that KIM-1 could be a sensitive and specific biomarker for early diagnosis and prognosis of kidney allograft injury. © 2019, Japanese Society of Nephrology.