Application for a calibrated densitometer and microcentrifuge for studies on epithelial cell physiology and pathology

肾脏上皮细胞的正常功能是维持体内盐和液体平衡的重要要求。探索调节上皮通透性和完整性的关键机制对于我们理解正常肾脏功能及其在各种高患病率疾病状态下的改变至关重要。后者包括高血压、糖尿病和影响肾脏的免疫疾病。这些慢性疾病导致进行性肾瘢痕（纤维化）和随后的器官衰竭。目前的统计数据表明，在西方世界，小于45%的死亡可归因于某种类型的慢性纤维化疾病，肾脏是最常受影响的器官。我们实验室的重点是研究细胞间接触调控的细胞和分子机制及其在生理和病理条件（如炎症和纤维化）中的作用。在目前的申请中，我们要求资金购买两件基本设备，这是这些研究不可缺少的。其中之一是密度计，用于分析特定蛋白质的丰度和修饰。另一种设备是台式冷冻微离心机，这是制备大量待分析生物样品所必需的。目前我们没有密度计，我们的旧离心机也在失效。这些基本和通用的设备对我们未来的工作至关重要，旨在更好地了解肾脏生理和病理。

The normal function of epithelial cells in the kidney is a vital requirement for the maintenance of salt and fluid balance in the body. Exploration of the key mechanisms that regulate epithelial permeability and integrity are essential for our understanding of normal kidney functions and their alterations in a variety of high-prevalence disease states. The latter include high blood pressure, diabetes and immune diseases affecting the kidney. These chronic conditions lead to progressive kidney scarring (fibrosis) and subsequent organ failure. Current statistics suggests that <45% of all deaths in the western world is attributed to some type of chronic fibrotic disease, with the kidney being the most frequently affected organ.  The focus of our laboratories is the investigation of the cellular and molecular mechanism underlying the regulation of intercellular contacts and their role in physiological and pathological conditions, such as inflammation and fibrosis. In the current application we request funds to purchase two pieces of basic equipment, which are indispensable for these studies. One of them is a densitometer, which is used to analyze the abundance and modification of specific proteins. The other device is a table-top refrigerated microcentrifuge, which is necessary for the preparation of a large variety of biological samples to be analyzed.  Currently we do not have a densitometer, and our old centrifuge is failing. These basic and general devices are crucial for our future work, aimed at better understanding of kidney physiology and pathology.