Detection, localization, and action of the INSL3 receptor, LGR8, in rat kidney

Abstract

Recent molecular and pharmacologic studies have identified LGR8, a member of the leucine-rich repeat-containing G-protein-coupled receptor family, as a cognate receptor for insulin-like peptide-3 (INSL3). LGR8 mRNA has been detected in various tissues, but the precise roles of these INSL3-LGRS systems are unknown. In this study we first investigated the presence and cellular localization of LGR8 mRNA in both adult and developing rat kidney and subsequently examined the possible role of INSL2-LGR8 signaling in cultured mesangial cells. LGR8 mRNA was detected in the kidney by polymerase chain reaction and localized by in situ hybridization in mature glomerular mesangial cells within the renal ..