Reduced kidney repair function under diminished Osx expression.

<p>(A) Histological analysis of kidney subjected to ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Even after 5 days post I/R injury, the hypoxic kidneys from Osx heterozygotes (Osx^flox/−) showed symptoms of acute tubular necrosis including the loss of epithelial brush border, epithelia flattening, and casts. Arrowheads indicates casts with necrotic and apoptotic tubular cells. Scale bar = 50 µm. (B) Delayed renal repair after I/R injury in Osx heterozygotes. BUN (an indicator of kidney failure and function) and creatinine levels remained higher after I/R injury in the kidneys of Osx heterozygotes than in those of the wild-type. *, p<0.05 versus wild-type (Osx^flox/+). (C) Increased expressions of proinflammatory and fibrogenic cytokines in the hypoxic kidneys of Osx heterozygotes at 5 days after I/R injury. The expressions of proinflammatory and fibrogenic cytokines were elevated in the I/R injured kidneys of Osx heterozygotes. Relative mRNA expression levels of the genes were normalized to GAPDH and quantified using Image J software. Bcl2, B-cell lymphoma 2; NF-κB, nuclear factor kappa B; MCP, monocyte chemotactic protein; TNF-α, tumor necrosis factor alpha; CTGF, connective tissue growth factor; HO-1, Heme oxygenase 1; IL-1α, Interleukin-1 alpha; IL-1β, Interleukin-1 beta.