High levels of a polyubiquinated form of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) were associated with an almost four-fold higher risk of a 40% decline in kidney function in a cohort of American Indians with or at high risk of diabetic kidney disease.
A recently identified modified form of the protein PTEN has been implicated in kidney fibrosis in animals and in fibrotic mechanisms in human cellular studies. Researchers led by Helen C Looker wanted to see if circulating levels of this form of PTEN were associated with progression of kidney disease in American Indians with type 2 diabetes. In a study published in the American Journal of Kidney Diseases ( AJKD ), they shared their finding that the modified form of PTEN was associated with increased risk of decline in kidney function and the onset of kidney failure. In a subgroup of participants, serum modified PTEN levels were also associated with the severity of lesions in kidney structure, which signify early manifestations of diabetic kidney disease.
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ARTICLE TITLE: Serum Polyubiquitinated PTEN and Loss of Kidney Function in American Indians With Type 2 Diabetes
AUTHORS: Helen C Looker, MBBS, Chunru Lin, PhD, Viji Nair, MS, Matthias Kretzler, MD, Michael Mauer, MD, Behzad Najafian, MD, and Robert G Nelson, MD, PhD
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1053/j.ajkd.2021.08.009
American Journal of Kidney Diseases
Serum Level of Polyubiquitinated PTEN and Loss of Kidney Function in American Indians With Type 2 Diabetes