Molecular Characterization of the Regenerative Response Induced by Intrarenal Transplantation of Selected Renal Cells in a Rodent Model of Chronic Kidney Disease

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Dedifferentiation and proliferation of resident tubular epithelial cells is a mechanism of action potentially contributing to repair and regeneration in kidneys presenting with ischemic or chronic disease. To more efficiently develop cell and tissue engineering technologies for the kidney, we have developed molecular assays to evaluate the acquisition of a pluripotent state associated with stem/progenitor cell phenotype during induction of a regenerative response within the kidneys of rats with chronic kidney disease (CKD) following therapeutic intervention. Intrarenal delivery of selected bioactive renal cells leads to significant upregulation of pluripotency-associated SOX2 mRNA within the diseased kidney tissue from 1 to 24 weeks after treatment. The overall regenerative response index was assessed by quantitative composite expression of CD24, NODAL and LEFTY1 proteins, which were induced within 1 week of cell treatment and peaked at 12 weeks after treatment, reaching statistical significance (p < 0.05) compared to untreated CKD controls. Molecular assays that incorporate the assessment of SOX2 and the regenerative response index may prove to be valuable tools for the detection and monitoring of the tissue response after the delivery of regenerative treatments for CKD, thereby significantly shortening the developmental timelines associated with such therapies.