Liver injury in mice causes upregulation of a protein called siderocalin -a protein that binds and transports iron. Why this upregulation occurred was not known.

Appearing online on February 10 in advance of publication in the March 1 print edition of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Jonathan Barasch and colleagues from Columbia University describe the expression of siderocalin in kidney diseases of the mouse and human and show that upregulation of the protein protects kidney cells and accelerates their recovery from damage. Human kidney biopsies show extensive expression in the proximal tubule of kidneys damaged by ischemia and toxins.

When a single dose of siderocalin was administered to the proximal tubule in the early stages of kidney disease, it blocked tissue damage, normalized kidney enzyme levels, inhibited degradation of the proximal tubule, increased protective enzymes, and suppressed cell death. The work will be of interest in the field of kidney diseases and therapeutics.

TITLE: Endocytic delivery of lipocalin-siderophore-iron complex rescues the kidney from ischemia-reperfusion injury

AUTHOR CONTACT: Barasch, Jonathan
Columbia University, New York, NY USA
Phone : (212) 305-1890; Fax: (212) 305-3475; E-mail: jmb4columbia.edu

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Contact: Stacie Bloom - staciebloomthe-jci
Journal of Clinical Investigation, March 1, 2005