Metabolomic and transcriptomic markers of diabetic changes in baboon kidney
Alterations of renal morphology, including expansion of the mesangial extracellular matrix and glomerular enlargement, are associated with diabetes and obesity in both humans and nonhuman primates and precede alterations of kidney function. The goals of this pilot project are (1) to characterize the extent of variation in microRNA (miRNA) transcription and metabolomic profiles of kidney biopsies from non-diabetic and spontaneously diabetic older adult female baboons; (2) to characterize the extent of variation in these same animals for measures of glucose tolerance and kidney function; (3) to obtain metabolomic and miRNA profiles of urine and plasma from these animals to identify possible molecular correlates of diabetes-status-related kidney gene expression and function; (4) to compare these profiles with a comparable de-identified sample of diabetic and non-diabetic women. The overall goals are to identify novel biomarkers of nephropathic changes related to obesity-related diabetes, and to augment existing knowledge of the baboon as a nonhuman primate model of disease risk in diabetes and obesity in support of future studies of kidney dysfunction in this model.

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