Consistently with our findings, in a recent transcriptome analysis of human DKD biopsies, TIMP3 was significantly down-regulated in glomeruli but not in tubuli of diabetic kidneys compared to their healthy controls (Woroniecka et al, 2011), and it is therefore possible that TIMP3 may have different roles in these distinct compartments, and/or may be differentially regulated at subsequent stages of the progression of diabetic nephropathy (Kassiri et al, 2009). The gene discussed is TIMP3; the disease is diabetic kidney disease.