Previous work suggested qualitatively different effects of neurotrophin 3 (NT-3) in cochlear innervation patterning in different null mutants. We now show that all NT-3 null mutants have a similar phenotype and lose all neurons in the basal turn of the cochlea. To understand these longitudinal deficits in neurotrophin mutants, we have compared the development of the deficit in the NT-3 mutant to the spatial-temporal expression patterns of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and NT-3, using lacZ reporters in each gene and with expression of the specific neurotrophin receptors, trkB and trkC. In the NT-3 mutant, almost normal numbers of spiral ganglion neurons form, but fiber outgrowth to the basal turn is eliminated by embryonic day (E) 13.5. Most neurons are lost between E13.5 and E15.5. During the period preceding apoptosis, NT-3 is expressed in supporting cells, whereas BDNF is expressed mainly in hair cells, which become postmitotic in an apical to basal temporal gradient. During the period of neuronal loss, BDNF is absent from the basal cochlea, accounting for the complete loss of basal turn neurons in the NT-3 mutant. The spatial gradients of neuronal loss in these two mutants appear attributable to spatial-temporal gradients of neurotrophin expression. Our immunocytochemical data show equal expression of their receptors, TrkB and TrkC, in spiral sensory neurons and thus do not relate to the basal turn loss. Mice in which NT-3 was replaced by BDNF show a qualitative normal pattern of innervation at E13.5. This suggests that the pattern of expression of neurotrophins rather than their receptors is essential for the spatial loss of spiral sensory neurons in NT-3 null mutants.

Renal disease is one of the most common and severe complications of diabetes mellitus. The hallmark of the disease, glomerulosclerosis, is characterized by an accumulation of extracellular matrix in the mesangial areas, leading to progressive obliteration of the vascular spaces. The role of the metabolic derangements of diabetes mellitus in the development of these lesions is incompletely understood. One of the consequences of hyperglycemia is the formation of advanced glycosylation end products (AGEs), which result from a series of rearrangements secondary to nonenzymatic reaction of glucose with proteins. Specific receptors for proteins modified by AGEs, present in several cell types, were recently described in human and rat mesangial cells. Furthermore, exposure of mesangial cells to AGEs was followed by an increase in fibronectin production. In the present study we show evidence that mouse mesangial cells exhibit an increase in collagen type IV mRNA and peptide synthesis after exposure to AGEs. Antibodies to AGE receptors prevent this increase, indicating that the response is AGE-receptor-mediated. In addition, anti-platelet-derived growth factor abrogates the AGE response, suggesting that platelet-derived growth factor acts as an intermediate factor. Transcription assay reveals that the elevated mRNA levels are due to an increase in the transcription rate, rather than to an increase in the stability of the message. Finally, the mRNAs coding for laminin and heparan sulfate proteoglycan are also increased after exposure to AGE, whereas glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase mRNA levels remain constant. The increase in extracellular matrix mRNAs seen in the current study suggests that AGE formation in vivo may be one of the metabolic events leading to the development of diabetic glomerulosclerosis.

Diabetes and aging are commonly accompanied by arterio-and atherosclerosis. Infiltration of the arterial subendothelial intima by macrophages/monocytes is an important early event preceding the development of atheromatous lesions; these macrophages are known to produce mitogenic factors in early atherosclerotic lesions. It has been previously shown that, over time, vascular matrix accumulates proteins nonenzymatically modified by advanced glycosylation end products (AGEs). In view of the fact that macrophages/ monocytes have AGE-specific receptors associated with the expression of several growth factors, we investigated the possibility that AGEs mediate initial monocyte-vessel wall interactions that occur before overt formation of vascular lesions.This study demonstrates that (a) in vitro-and in vivo-formed AGEs are chemotactic for human blood monocytes, (il) subendothelial AGEs can selectively induce monocyte migration across an intact endothelial cell monolayer, and (iii) subsequent monocyte interaction with AGE-containing matrix results in the expression of platelet-derived growth factor. These results support the existing hypothesis that in vivo-forming glucosederived protein adducts can act as signals for the normal turnover of senescent tissue protein by means of the AGEspecific receptor system. Time-dependent glucose-induced

Normal tissue homeostasis requires a finely balanced interaction between phagocytic scavenger cells (such as monocytes and macrophages) that degrade senescent material and mesenchymal cells (such as fibroblasts and smooth muscle cells

SummaryAdvanced glycosylation endproducts (AGEs) are derived from the nonenzymatic addition of glucose to proteins. AGEs have been found to accumulate on tissue proteins in patients with diabetes, and their accumulation is thought to play a role in the development of diabetic complications. The finding that macrophages and endothelial cells contain AGE-specific receptors led us to examine whether mesangial cells (MCs) also possess a mechanism for recognizing and processing AGEs. Membrane extracts isolated from rat and human MCs were found to bind AGE-bovine serum albumin (BSA) in a saturable fashion, with a binding affinity of 2.0 _+ 0.4 x 106 M-1 (500 nM). The binding was specific for the AGE adduct, since AGE-modified collagen I and ribonuclease both competitively inhibited nSI-AGE-BSA binding to MC membranes, while the unmodified proteins did not compete. Binding of AGE proteins was followed by slow internalization and degradation of the ligand. Ligand blotting of MC membrane extracts demonstrated three distinct AGE-binding membrane proteins of 50, 40, and 30 kD. Growth of MCs on various AGE-modified matrix proteins resulted in alterations in MC function, as demonstrated by enhanced production of fibronectin and decreased proliferation. These results point to the potential role that the interaction of AGE-modified proteins with MCs may play in vivo in promoting diabetic kidney disease.