Authors: Matsuda H, Hamet P, Tremblay J
Abstract
Hypertension is a risk factor for renal impairment. While treatment of hypertension provides significant renal protection, there is still an unmet need requiring further exploration of additional pathogenetic mechanisms. We have found that the hypertension-related, calcium-regulated gene (HCaRG/COMMD5) is involved in renal repair. HCaRG is a small intracellular protein of 225 amino acids and its gene expression is negatively regulated by extracellular calcium concentrations. HCaRG is mostly expressed in the kidneys, with higher levels found in the spontaneously hypertensive rat than in normotensive rats. In an acute kidney injury model, HCaRG expression decreases immediately after injury but increases above baseline during the repair...