Figure 2

Diabetic podocyte-specific Bmp4 knockout mice exhibited reduced podocyte injury and mesangial expansion. (A) Representative light microscopy, immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy images of glomeruli. Extracellular matrix deposition was determined by PAS staining. PAS staining was increased in diabetic Bmp4^loxP induced (−) mice (c) and decreased in diabetic Bmp4^loxP × Podocin-Cre mice (d). Diabetic Bmp4^loxP × Podocin-Cre mice exhibited a moderate decrease in the number of WT1-positive cells (l) and nephrin expression (p) compared with diabetic Bmp4^loxP induced (−) mice. The GBM thickness in the diabetic Bmp4^loxP × Podocin-Cre mice was reduced compared with the diabetic Bmp4^loxP induced (−) mice (s and t). (B) A bar graph summarizes the histological scores for PAM staining. Diabetic Bmp4^loxP × Podocin-Cre mice displayed decreased mesangial matrix expansion compared with diabetic Bmp4^loxP induced (−) mice. (C) The number of WT1-positive cells was determined by immunostaining. A greater number of WT1-positive cells was observed in the diabetic Bmp4^loxP × Podocin-Cre mice than in the diabetic Bmp4^loxP induced (−) mice. (D) The nephrin-positive area was determined by measuring the immunostaining. A larger nephrin-positive area was observed in the diabetic Bmp4^loxP × Podocin-Cre mice than in the diabetic Bmp4^loxP induced (−) mice. Cont, nondiabetic mice; DM, diabetic mice. ^*P < 0.01, ^**P < 0.05 (ANOVA).