Person: Bijol, Vanesa
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Bijol
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Vanesa
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Bijol, Vanesa
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Publication Discovery of new glomerular disease-relevant genes by translational profiling of podocytes in vivo(2014) Grgic, Ivica; Hofmeister, Andreas F.; Genovese, Giulio; Bernhardy, Andrea J.; Sun, Hua; Maarouf, Omar H.; Bijol, Vanesa; Pollak, Martin; Humphreys, Benjamin D.Identifying new biomarkers and therapeutic targets for podocytopathies such as focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) requires a detailed analysis of transcriptional changes in podocytes over the course of disease. Here we used translating ribosome affinity purification (TRAP) to isolate and profile podocyte-specific mRNA in two different models of FSGS. Expressed eGFP-tagged ribosomal protein L10a in podocytes under the control of the Collagen-1α1 promoter enabled podocyte-specific mRNA isolation in a one-step process over the course of disease. This TRAP protocol robustly enriched known podocyte-specific mRNAs. We crossed col1α1-L10a mice with the actn4−/− and actn4+/K256E models of FSGS and analyzed podocyte transcriptional profiles at 2, 6 and 44 weeks of age. Two upregulated podocyte genes in murine FSGS (CXCL1 and DMPK) were found to be upregulated at the protein level in biopsies from patients with FSGS, validating this approach. There was no dilution of podocyte-specific transcripts during disease. These are the first podocyte-specific RNA expression datasets during aging and in two models of FSGS. This approach identified new podocyte proteins that are upregulated in FSGS and help define novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets for human glomerular disease.Publication Nodular glomerulosclerosis with anti-glomerular basement membrane-like glomerulonephritis; a distinct pattern of kidney injury observed in smokers(Oxford University Press, 2014) Batal, Ibrahim; Reyes, Daisy B.; Popham, Sandy; Bijol, VanesaBackground: Cigarette smoking has recently been recognized as a risk factor for developing nodular glomerulosclerosis and has also been frequently encountered in patients with anti-glomerular basement membrane (anti-GBM) disease. However, the concurrent presence of both patterns of glomerular injury has not been previously reported. Material and methods In this article, we describe three patients with non-diabetic nodular glomerulosclerosis, anti-GBM-like glomerulonephritis (GN) and a history of heavy smoking. Results: Our cohort included three patients, of which two were men (53 and 77 years old) and one a 28-year-old woman. None of the patients had a history of diabetes mellitus but all of them were heavy smokers who presented with renal insufficiency and proteinuria. Nodular glomerulosclerosis and occasional small, non-circumferential crescents in different stages of development were found on kidney biopsy. Immunofluorescence microscopy studies showed intense linear IgG staining along the glomerular basement membranes in the absence of granular immune-type deposits. Electron microscopy evaluation revealed prominent endothelial cell injury without detectable electron-dense deposits. One patient was dialysis-dependent a few months post-biopsy while the other two patients maintained their kidney function 18 and 24 months post-biopsy but without a significant improvement of serum creatinine. Conclusions: The combination of nodular glomerulosclerosis and anti-GBM-like GN appears to be a distinct pattern of injury observed in a small subset of heavy smokers. Although this pattern of glomerular injury might be less aggressive than the typical anti-GBM GN, it does not appear to carry a favorable prognosis.Publication Medical student web-based formative assessment tool for renal pathology(Co-Action Publishing, 2015) Bijol, Vanesa; Byrne-Dugan, Cathryn J.; Hoenig, MelanieBackground: Web-based formative assessment tools have become widely recognized in medical education as valuable resources for self-directed learning. Objectives: To explore the educational value of formative assessment using online quizzes for kidney pathology learning in our renal pathophysiology course. Methods: Students were given unrestricted and optional access to quizzes. Performance on quizzed and non-quizzed materials of those who used (‘quizzers’) and did not use the tool (‘non-quizzers’) was compared. Frequency of tool usage was analyzed and satisfaction surveys were utilized at the end of the course. Results: In total, 82.6% of the students used quizzes. The greatest usage was observed on the day before the final exam. Students repeated interactive and more challenging quizzes more often. Average means between final exam scores for quizzed and unrelated materials were almost equal for ‘quizzers’ and ‘non-quizzers’, but ‘quizzers’ performed statistically better than ‘non-quizzers’ on both, quizzed (p=0.001) and non-quizzed (p=0.024) topics. In total, 89% of surveyed students thought quizzes improved their learning experience in this course. Conclusions: Our new computer-assisted learning tool is popular, and although its use can predict the final exam outcome, it does not provide strong evidence for direct improvement in academic performance. Students who chose to use quizzes did well on all aspects of the final exam and most commonly used quizzes to practice for final exam. Our efforts to revitalize the course material and promote learning by adding interactive online formative assessments improved students’ learning experience overall.Publication Targeted Proximal Tubule Injury Triggers Interstitial Fibrosis and Glomerulosclerosis(Nature Publishing Group, 2012) Grgic, Ivica; Campanholle, Gabriela; Bijol, Vanesa; Wang, Chang; Sabbisetti, Venkata; Ichimura, Takaharu; Humphreys, Benjamin D.; Bonventre, JosephChronic kidney disease (CKD) remains one of the leading causes of death in the developed world and acute kidney injury (AKI) is now recognized as a major risk factor in its development. Understanding the factors leading to CKD after acute injury are limited by current animal models of AKI which concurrently target various kidney cell types such as epithelial, endothelial and inflammatory cells. Here we developed a mouse model of kidney injury using the Six2-Cre-LoxP technology to selectively activate expression of the simian diphtheria toxin receptor in renal epithelia derived from the metanephric mesenchyme. By adjusting the timing and dose of diphtheria toxin a highly selective model of tubular injury was created to define the acute and chronic consequences of isolated epithelial injury. The diphtheria toxin-induced sublethal tubular epithelial injury was confined to the S1 and S2 segments of the proximal tubule rather than being widespread in the metanephric mesenchyme derived epithelial lineage. Acute injury was promptly followed by inflammatory cell infiltration and robust tubular cell proliferation leading to complete recovery after a single toxin insult. In striking contrast, three insults to renal epithelial cells at one week intervals resulted in maladaptive repair with interstitial capillary loss, fibrosis and glomerulosclerosis which was highly correlated with the degree of interstitial fibrosis. Thus, selective epithelial injury can drive the formation of interstitial fibrosis, capillary rarefaction and potentially glomerulosclerosis, substantiating a direct role for damaged tubule epithelium in the pathogenesis of CKD.Publication Heterozygosity for Fibrinogen Results in Efficient Resolution of Kidney Ischemia Reperfusion Injury(Public Library of Science, 2012) Ajay, Amrendra; Saikumar, Janani; Bijol, Vanesa; Vaidya, VishalFibrinogen (Fg) has been recognized to play a central role in coagulation, inflammation and tissue regeneration. Several studies have used Fg deficient mice (Fg−/−) in comparison with heterozygous mice (Fg+/−) to point the proinflammatory role of Fg in diverse pathological conditions and disease states. Although Fg+/− mice are considered ‘normal’, plasma Fg is reduced to ∼75% of the normal circulating levels present in wild type mice (Fg+/+). We report that this reduction in Fg protein production in the Fg+/− mice is enough to protect them from kidney ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI) as assessed by tubular injury, kidney dysfunction, necrosis, apoptosis and inflammatory immune cell infiltration. Mechanistically, we observed binding of Fg to ICAM-1 in kidney tissues of Fg+/+ mice at 24 h following IRI as compared to a complete absence of binding observed in the Fg+/− and Fg−/− mice. Raf-1 and ERK were highly activated as evident by significantly higher phosphorylation in the Fg+/+ kidneys at 24 h following IRI as compared to Fg+/− and Fg−/− mice kidneys. On the other hand Cyclin D1 and pRb, indicating higher cell proliferation, were significantly increased in the Fg+/− and Fg−/− as compared to Fg+/+ kidneys. These data suggest that Fg heterozygosity allows maintenance of a critical balance of Fg that enables regression of initial injury and promotes faster resolution of kidney damage.