Changes in mouse kidney glomerular gene expression following dendrin knockout

Glomerular podocyte cells are critical for the function of the renal ultrafiltration barrier. The highly specialized cell-cell junction of podocytes, the slit diaphragm, has a central role in the filtration barrier. Dendrin is a poorly characterized cytosolic component of the slit diaphragm in where it interacts with nephrin and Cd2ap. In this study, we have generated a dendrin knockout mouse line and explored the molecular interactions of dendrin. Dendrin-deficient mice were viable, fertile and had normal life span. To reveal the glomerular gene expression changes in the dendrin knockout mouse, Affymetrix Mouse Genome 430 2.0 Array were used to profiling the dendrin knockout and control glomeruli. Three dendrin knockout and three littermate control mice at age of 13 months were used to profile glomerular transcriptomes. Total glomerular RNA was extracted and hyrbridized on the Mouse Genome 430 2.0 Array according to standard procedures.