Congratulations to the research group headed by Jeffrey Miner, PhD, on their recent publication that landed the cover of Kidney International. The colorful cover photograph, illustrating paraffin immunofluorescence of different collagen IV chains, is a figure from their article “Quantitative assessment of glomerular basement membrane (GBM) collagen IV α chains in paraffin sections from patients with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) and Alport gene variants” in the May 2024 issue of the journal.
Dr. Miner, Eduardo and Judith Slatopolsky Endowed Professor of Medicine in Nephrology and senior author of the article, is an international leader in basement membrane biology and the involvement of basement membranes in kidney function and disease. He is an expert in research on Alport Syndrome, a genetic disease of the kidney glomerular basement membrane.
In the current study, the researchers developed an immunofluorescence imaging protocol to assess GBM collagen IV networks in kidney paraffin sections. By distinguishing distinct layers of collagen IV (α3α4α5 and α1α1α2) using Airyscan confocal microscopy, they quantitatively evaluated the levels of these collagen types. They found that patients with pathogenic, or likely pathogenic Alport COL4A variants, exhibited significantly reduced collagen α3α4α5 (IV) relative to α1α1α2 (IV). The study highlights the diagnostic potential of quantitative GBM collagen assessment in kidney diseases.
“During the past 10 years, the importance of genetic variants in type IV collagen genes, COL4A3-A5, or what we call in our article the ‘Alport COL4A genes,’ has been increasingly recognized in the pathogenesis of kidney diseases beyond the classic Alport syndrome we used to understand.
Pongpratch Puapatanakul
With our imaging approach that allows for the quantification of two GBM collagen IV layers, I hope that aberrations in collagen IV will be further studied in other contexts of kidney diseases and ultimately lead to improved patient care.
Last, but not least, I am grateful and honored that this work was recognized and featured on the cover of Kidney International.
For more detailed information, please read the full article here.
Congratulations are also in order for Dr. Miner, who was recently elected as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Council. Founded in 1848, the AAAS is the world’s largest multi-disciplinary science society whose global mission is to advance science, engineering, and innovation for the benefit of all people. Election as a Fellow honors members whose efforts on behalf of the advancement of science or its applications in service to society have distinguished them among their peers and colleagues. Read more about this prestigious association here. See all of the 2023 AAAS Fellows here.
“I am very honored that the Council of AAAS has recognized the impact of my lab’s research on our understanding of genetic forms of kidney disease, in particular Alport syndrome. I am thankful for the contributions of outstanding students, postdoctoral trainees, dedicated staff, and collaborators from around the world who have been so critical to these endeavors.”
Jeffrey Miner
On X, follow @JeffMinerPhD and @WUNephrology; visit and “Like” us on Facebook.