Differences among inbred mouse strains in sensitivity to TGF-ß1 induced renal fibrosis: association with TIMP-1 and EGR2 expression

Alb/TGF-ß1 (TGF-ß) transgenic mice on mixed (CBAxB6) genetic background are characterized by renal fibrosis with mild or severe phenotype. Our aim was to examine the influence of genetic background on TGF-ß induced renal fibrosis in transgenic mice, and to elucidate the molecular details of strain dependent progression of fibrosis. We generated congenic B6-TGFß transgenic mice and CBAxB6-TGFß transgenic hybrid mice. Survival, proteinuria, renal histology, renal transcriptome using cDNA microarray and protein expression were analysed. B6-TGFß (WT) and CBAxB6-TGFß (KO) kidneys were analyzed (n=3/group).