Erratum to renal progenitor cells modulated by angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) medication and differentiation towards podocytes in anti-thy1.1 nephritis

Figure 3 Regions of progenitors along PECs expanded following losartan treatment. (A) Positive regions of renal progenitor and transitional state cells increased following losartan treatment. ImageJ software was used to generate computer densitometry. On day 3, compared with Sham group, no significant difference was found in Thy-1 group (P>0.05), but higher CD133+CD24+ PECs region (arrowheads) per glomerular cross section was detected in Losartan group (*, P<0.05, ×400 original magnification). On days 7 and 14, in contrast, CD133+CD24+ PECs staining region in Thy-1 and Losartan group was higher than Sham group. Compared with Thy-1 group, larger CD133+CD24+ PECs region was found in Losartan group (*, P<0.05). (B) Specific stem cell marker CD24 was chosen to perform western blot test on day 7. Compared with Sham group, CD24 protein expression level in Thy-1 and Losartan group was higher (*, P<0.05). And Losartan group expressed more CD24 protein than Thy-1 group (*, P<0.05). (C) Renal progenitor cells region along PECs extended due to losartan treatment. As reported, renal progenitor PECs expressed stem cell protein without podocytes markers. So CD24+synapotopodin− was performed to locate the renal progenitor PECs (arrowheads). On days 3, 7 and 14, compared with Sham group, higher CD24+synaptopodin− PECs region was detected in Thy-1 and Losartan group (*, P<0.05, ×400 original magnification). And in contrast, CD24+synaptopodin− PECs region in Losartan group was higher than Thy-1 group (*, P<0.05). PEC, parietal epithelial cell.

Figure 4 P-ERK1/2 signal pathway augmented in losartan-treated rats with experimental MsPGN. P-ERK signal pathway was involved in multiple cellular activities, especially differentiation and proliferation. In the study of CD133/p-ERK double staining, we found that on days 3, 7 and 14, compared with Sham group, number of CD133+p-ERK+ PECs (arrowheads) per glomerular cross section in Thy-1 and Losartan groups increased significantly (*, P<0.05, ×400 original magnification). And double positive number of CD133+p-ERK+ PECs in Losartan group was more than Thy-1 group (*, P<0.05). MsPGN, mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis; PEC, parietal epithelial cell.