Early-Onset Diabetic E1-DN Mice Develop Albuminuria and Glomerular Injury Typical of Diabetic Nephropathy

Figure 6

Electron microscopy indicates glomerular basement membrane thickening and podocyte foot process effacement in E1-DN mice. (a) In wild-type mouse (age 50 weeks) podocyte foot processes (FP) line regularly the glomerular basement membrane (GBM) around the capillary loops (CL). (b) In the E1-DN homozygous mouse (age 40 weeks) irregular thickening of the GBM (arrowheads) and podocyte foot process widening (arrow) are observed. (c) Foot process widening (arrows) is observed in 50 weeks old E1-DN homozygous mouse. (d) GBM is thicker in the E1-DN homozygous (hoz) mice (age 40–50 weeks) compared to the wild-type (wt) mice (age 50 weeks). The thickness of the GBM was calculated from three glomeruli in two wild-type and eight glomeruli in three homozygous E1-DN mice. (e) Podocyte foot processes are wider in the homozygous E1-DN mice (40–50 weeks of age) compared to the wild-type mice (50 weeks of age). Foot process width was calculated from 10 glomeruli in two wild-type and 9 glomeruli in three homozygous E1-DN mice. Bars show mean ± SEM. , Mann-Whitney test. Scale bar: 2 μm.

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