| 초록 |
Objectives: Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is a major complication of diabetes and a leading cause of end-stage kidney disease. Discriminating DKD from other glomerular diseases, such as IgA nephropathy (IgAN) and membranous nephropathy (MN) in patietns with type 2 diabetes, is crucial for determining appropriate therapeutic strategies. This study aimed to identify and validate serum protein biomarkers to accurately distinguish DKD from other primary glomerular diseases.Methods: Serum proteomes were analyzed using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) with a label-free quantification LFQ) approach. A discovery study was conducted on the 1st set (n=32; DKD=11, primary GN [IgAN/MN]=21) to select candidate features. To ensure reproducibility, a validation study was performed on the 2nd set (n=98; DKD=60, primary GN [IgAN/MN]=38). A refined panel of five consistent biomarkers—MYL6, PTPRM, IGFBP4, PRDX6, and SPON1—was selected based on their consistent directionality and robust AUC performance across both cohorts.Results: The integrated Logistic Regression (LR) model using the five-protein panel demonstrated high diagnostic accuracy. The model achieved a Discovery AUC of 1.000 and a Validation AUC of 0.854. In the validation set, the model yielded a high sensitivity for DKD (Recall = 0.95), correctly identifying 57 out of 60 DKD patients. Functional analysis revealed that these biomarkers are central to podocyte structural collapse, fibrosis, and antioxidant defense failure. Conclusion: The identified five-protein panel provides a robust signature for discriminating DKD from IgAN and MN. By accurately identifying DKD patients, this model can be utilized in clinical settings to facilitate intensive treatment and targeted interventions, potentially slowing disease progression and improving patient outcomes through personalized nephrology care. |