Oncostatin M pathway plays a major role in the renal acute phase response.

The acute phase response is traditionally characterized by hepatic synthesis of proteins as an inflammatory response to injury, with interleukin-6 (IL-6) being the key mediator. In contrast, microarray studies in human renal transplant implantation biopsies indicate a strong acute phase response in the deceased donor kidney, associated with a significant upregulation of oncostatin M receptor β (OSMR). The aim of this study was to determine whether the kidney can generate a strong acute phase response, mediated by the OSM/OSMR gateway. Genes associated with the IL-6 cytokine family and acute phase reactants were analyzed by real-time RT-PCR in four groups of human biopsies spanning a spectrum of renal injury. OSM, OSMR, and fibrinogen β (FGB) were progressively more highly expressed from prenephrectomy, living donor, deceased donor, to discarded donor kidneys, suggesting correlation with severity of injury and local renal synthesis. Acute phase response gene expression was analyzed in human proximal tubula...