Corin is downregulated in renal ischemia/reperfusion injury and is associated with delayed graft function after kidney transplantation

Abstract

Renal ischemia/reperfusion (IR) injury is one of the most important risk factors for the occurrence of delayed graft function (DGF) after kidney transplantation; however, its mechanism remains not fully understood. In the present study, we screened differentially expressed genes in a murine model of renal IR injury by using high-throughput assays. We identified Corin as one of the most significantly downregulated genes among 2218 differentially expressed genes (≥2-fold, P < 0 05). By using a real-time qPCR assay, we observed that the expression of renal Corin in IR-injured mice was reduced to 11.5% of the sham-operated mice and that the protein level of renal Corin in IR-injured mice was also downregulated. Interestingly, renal IR injury in mice induced the downregulation of Corin in heart tissues, suggesting that the overall synthesis of Corin may be suppressed. We recruited 11 recipients complicated with DGF and 16 without DGF, and plasma Corin concentrations were determined by ELISA. We observed that the plasma Corin levels were indeed reduced in recipients complicated with DGF (0.98 vs. 1.95 ng/ml, P < 0 05). These findings demonstrate that Corin may be a potential biomarker of DGF after kidney transplantation and may participate in the regulation of renal IR injury.