Urinary exosomes have been proposed as potential diagnostic tools. TNF superfamily cytokines and receptors may be
present in exosomes and are expressed by proximal tubular cells. We have now studied the expression of selected TNF
superfamily proteins in exosome-like vesicles from cultured human proximal tubular cells and human urine and have
identified additional proteins in these vesicles by LC-MS/MS proteomics. Human proximal tubular cells constitutively
released exosome-like vesicles that did not contain the TNF superfamily cytokines TRAIL or TWEAK. However, exosome-like
vesicles contained osteoprotegerin (OPG), a TNF receptor superfamily protein, as assessed by Western blot, ELISA or
selected reaction monitoring by nLC-(QQQ)MS/MS. Twenty-one additional proteins were identified in tubular cell exosomelike
vesicles, including one (vitamin D binding protein) that had not been previously reported in exosome-like vesicles.
Twelve were extracellular matrix proteins, including the basement membrane proteins type IV collagen, nidogen-1, agrin
and fibulin-1. Urine from chronic kidney disease patients contained a higher amount of exosomal protein and exosomal
OPG than urine from healthy volunteers. Specifically OPG was increased in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease
urinary exosome-like vesicles and expressed by cystic epithelium in vivo. In conclusion, OPG is present in exosome-like
vesicles secreted by proximal tubular epithelial cells and isolated from Chronic Kidney Disease urine.This work was supported by grants from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIIIRETIC REDINREN RD06/0016, RD12/0021, PI11/01854, PI10/00072 PI09/
00641 and PS09/00447); Comunidad de Madrid (Fibroteam S2010/BMD-2321, S2010/BMD-2378); Sociedad Española de NefrologÍa; European Network (HEALTH
F2-2008-200647); DIALOK European project LSHB-CT-2007-036644; Fundacion Lilly and IRSIN/FRIAT to JE; Programa Intensificación Actividad Investigadora (ISCIII/
Agencia Laín-Entralgo/CM) to AO; Instituto de Salud Carlos III (FIS PI11/01401, CP09/00229); and Fundación Conchita Rábago de Jiménez DÍaz to GAL. The funders
had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscrip
