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Prahl LS, Liu J, Viola JM, Huang AZ, Chan TJ, Hayward-Lara G, Porter CM, Shi C, Zhang J, Hughes AJ. Jamming of nephron-forming niches in the developing mouse kidney creates cyclical mechanical stresses. NATURE MATERIALS 2024:10.1038/s41563-024-02019-3. [PMID: 39385019 DOI: 10.1038/s41563-024-02019-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/11/2024] [Indexed: 10/11/2024]
Abstract
Urinary collecting tubules form during kidney embryogenesis through the branching of the ureteric bud epithelium. A travelling mesenchyme niche of nephron progenitor cells caps each branching ureteric bud tip. These 'tip domain' niches pack more closely over developmental time and their number relates to nephron endowment at birth. Yet, how the crowded tissue environment impacts niche number and cell decision-making remains unclear. Here, through experiments and mathematical modelling, we show that niche packing conforms to physical limitations imposed by kidney curvature. We relate packing geometries to rigidity theory to predict a stiffening transition starting at embryonic day 15 in the mouse, validated by micromechanical analysis. Using a method to estimate tip domain 'ages' relative to their most recent branch events, we find that new niches overcome mechanical resistance as they branch and displace neighbours. This creates rhythmic mechanical stress in the niche. These findings expand our understanding of kidney development and inform engineering strategies for synthetic regenerative tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louis S Prahl
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Center for Soft and Living Matter, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Jiageng Liu
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Bioengineering Graduate Group, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - John M Viola
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Bioengineering Graduate Group, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Aria Zheyuan Huang
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Bioengineering Graduate Group, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Trevor J Chan
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Bioengineering Graduate Group, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Gabriela Hayward-Lara
- Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Group, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Catherine M Porter
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Bioengineering Graduate Group, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Chenjun Shi
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Jitao Zhang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Alex J Hughes
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
- Center for Soft and Living Matter, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
- Bioengineering Graduate Group, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
- Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Group, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
- Center for Precision Engineering for Health (CPE4H), University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
- Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC), University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
- Institute for Regenerative Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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2
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Liu J, Prahl LS, Huang AZ, Hughes AJ. Measurement of adhesion and traction of cells at high yield reveals an energetic ratchet operating during nephron condensation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2404586121. [PMID: 39292750 PMCID: PMC11441508 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2404586121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2024] [Accepted: 08/21/2024] [Indexed: 09/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Developmental biology-inspired strategies for tissue-building have extraordinary promise for regenerative medicine, spurring interest in the relationship between cell biophysical properties and morphological transitions. However, mapping gene or protein expression data to cell biophysical properties to physical morphogenesis remains challenging with current techniques. Here, we present multiplexed adhesion and traction of cells at high yield (MATCHY). MATCHY advances the multiplexing and throughput capabilities of existing traction force and cell-cell adhesion assays using microfabrication and a semiautomated computation scheme with machine learning-driven cell segmentation. Both biophysical assays are coupled with serial downstream immunofluorescence to extract cell type/signaling state information. MATCHY is especially suited to complex primary tissue-, organoid-, or biopsy-derived cell mixtures since it does not rely on a priori knowledge of cell surface markers, cell sorting, or use of lineage-specific reporter animals. We first validate MATCHY on canine kidney epithelial cells engineered for rearranged during transfection (RET) tyrosine kinase expression and quantify a relationship between downstream signaling and cell traction. We then use MATCHY to create a biophysical atlas of mouse embryonic kidney primary cells and identify distinct biophysical states along the nephron differentiation trajectory. Our data complement expression-level knowledge of adhesion molecule changes that accompany nephron differentiation with quantitative biophysical information. These data reveal an "energetic ratchet" that accounts for spatial trends in nephron progenitor cell condensation as they differentiate into early nephron structures, which we validate through agent-based computational simulation. MATCHY offers semiautomated cell biophysical characterization at >10,000-cell throughput, an advance benefiting fundamental studies and new synthetic tissue strategies for regenerative medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiageng Liu
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104
- Bioengineering Graduate Group, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104
| | - Louis S. Prahl
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104
- Center for Soft and Living Matter, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104
| | - Aria Zheyuan Huang
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104
- Bioengineering Graduate Group, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104
| | - Alex J. Hughes
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104
- Bioengineering Graduate Group, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104
- Center for Soft and Living Matter, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104
- Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Group, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104
- Center for Precision Engineering for Health, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104
- Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104
- Institute for Regenerative Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104
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3
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Bugacov H, Der B, Briantseva BM, Guo Q, Kim S, Lindström NO, McMahon AP. Dose-dependent responses to canonical Wnt transcriptional complexes in the regulation of mammalian nephron progenitors. Development 2024; 151:dev202279. [PMID: 39250420 PMCID: PMC11463962 DOI: 10.1242/dev.202279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/02/2024] [Indexed: 09/11/2024]
Abstract
In vivo and in vitro studies argue that concentration-dependent Wnt signaling regulates mammalian nephron progenitor cell (NPC) programs. Canonical Wnt signaling is regulated through the stabilization of β-catenin, a transcriptional co-activator when complexed with Lef/Tcf DNA-binding partners. Using the GSK3β inhibitor CHIR99021 (CHIR) to block GSK3β-dependent destruction of β-catenin, we examined dose-dependent responses to β-catenin in mouse NPCs, using mRNA transduction to modify gene expression. Low CHIR-dependent proliferation of NPCs was blocked on β-catenin removal, with evidence of NPCs arresting at the G2-M transition. While NPC identity was maintained following β-catenin removal, mRNA-seq identified low CHIR and β-catenin dependent genes. High CHIR activated nephrogenesis. Nephrogenic programming was dependent on Lef/Tcf factors and β-catenin transcriptional activity. Molecular and cellular features of early nephrogenesis were driven in the absence of CHIR by a mutated stabilized form of β-catenin. Chromatin association studies indicate low and high CHIR response genes are likely direct targets of canonical Wnt transcriptional complexes. Together, these studies provide evidence for concentration-dependent Wnt signaling in the regulation of NPCs and provide new insight into Wnt targets initiating mammalian nephrogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helena Bugacov
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Balint Der
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
- Department of Urology, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest 1082, Hungary
- Institute of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest 1094, Hungary
| | - Bohdana-Myroslava Briantseva
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Qiuyu Guo
- Discovery Biomarkers, Amgen Research, 1 Amgen Center Drive, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320, USA
| | - Sunghyun Kim
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Nils O. Lindström
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Andrew P. McMahon
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
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4
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Li Y, Vyas SP, Mehta I, Asada N, Dey I, Taylor TC, Bechara R, Amatya N, Aggor FEY, Coleman BM, Li DD, Yamamoto K, Ezenwa O, Sun Y, Sterneck E, McManus CJ, Panzer U, Biswas PS, Savan R, Das J, Gaffen SL. The RNA binding protein Arid5a drives IL-17-dependent autoantibody-induced glomerulonephritis. J Exp Med 2024; 221:e20240656. [PMID: 39058386 PMCID: PMC11284280 DOI: 10.1084/jem.20240656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2024] [Revised: 06/06/2024] [Accepted: 06/17/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Autoantibody-mediated glomerulonephritis (AGN) arises from dysregulated renal inflammation, with urgent need for improved treatments. IL-17 is implicated in AGN and drives pathology in a kidney-intrinsic manner via renal tubular epithelial cells (RTECs). Nonetheless, downstream signaling mechanisms provoking kidney pathology are poorly understood. A noncanonical RNA binding protein (RBP), Arid5a, was upregulated in human and mouse AGN. Arid5a-/- mice were refractory to AGN, with attenuated myeloid infiltration and impaired expression of IL-17-dependent cytokines and transcription factors (C/EBPβ, C/EBPδ). Transcriptome-wide RIP-Seq revealed that Arid5a inducibly interacts with conventional IL-17 target mRNAs, including CEBPB and CEBPD. Unexpectedly, many Arid5a RNA targets corresponded to translational regulation and RNA processing pathways, including rRNAs. Indeed, global protein synthesis was repressed in Arid5a-deficient cells, and C/EBPs were controlled at the level of protein rather than RNA accumulation. IL-17 prompted Arid5a nuclear export and association with 18S rRNA, a 40S ribosome constituent. Accordingly, IL-17-dependent renal autoimmunity is driven by Arid5a at the level of ribosome interactions and translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Li
- Division of Rheumatology & Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Shachi P Vyas
- Division of Rheumatology & Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Isha Mehta
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Nariaki Asada
- III Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
- Hamburg Center for Translational Immunology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf , Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ipsita Dey
- Division of Rheumatology & Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Tiffany C Taylor
- Division of Rheumatology & Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Rami Bechara
- Division of Rheumatology & Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Nilesh Amatya
- Division of Rheumatology & Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Felix E Y Aggor
- Division of Rheumatology & Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Bianca M Coleman
- Division of Rheumatology & Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - De-Dong Li
- Division of Rheumatology & Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Kenta Yamamoto
- Division of Rheumatology & Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Ogechukwu Ezenwa
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Yeque Sun
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Esta Sterneck
- Laboratory of Cell and Developmental Signaling, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - C Joel McManus
- Department of Biological Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Ulf Panzer
- III Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
- Hamburg Center for Translational Immunology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf , Hamburg, Germany
| | - Partha S Biswas
- Division of Rheumatology & Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Ram Savan
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Jishnu Das
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Sarah L Gaffen
- Division of Rheumatology & Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
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5
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Yano-Sakamoto K, Kitai Y, Toriu N, Yamamoto S, Mizuta K, Saitou M, Tsukiyama T, Taniuchi I, Osato M, Yanagita M. Expression pattern of Runt-related transcription factor (RUNX) family members and the role of RUNX1 during kidney development. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2024; 722:150155. [PMID: 38795454 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2024.150155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2024] [Revised: 05/19/2024] [Accepted: 05/21/2024] [Indexed: 05/28/2024]
Abstract
Runt-related transcription factor (RUNX) family members play critical roles in the development of multiple organs. Mammalian RUNX family members, consisting of RUNX1, RUNX2, and RUNX3, have distinct tissue-specific expression and function. In this study, we examined the spatiotemporal expression patterns of RUNX family members in developing kidneys and analyzed the role of RUNX1 during kidney development. In the developing mouse kidney, RUNX1 protein was strongly expressed in the ureteric bud (UB) tip and weakly expressed in the distal segment of the renal vesicle (RV), comma-shaped body (CSB), and S-shaped body (SSB). In contrast, RUNX2 protein was restricted to the stroma, and RUNX3 protein was only expressed in immune cells. We also analyzed the expression of RUNX family members in the cynomolgus monkey kidney. We found that expression patterns of RUNX2 and RUNX3 were conserved between rodents and primates, whereas RUNX1 was only expressed in the UB tip, not in the RV, CSB, or SSB of cynomolgus monkeys, suggesting a species differences. We further evaluated the roles of RUNX1 using two different conditional knockout mice: Runx1f/f:HoxB7-Cre and Runx1f/f:R26-CreERT2 and found no abnormalities in the kidney. Our findings showed that RUNX1, which is mainly expressed in the UB tip, is not essential for kidney development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keiko Yano-Sakamoto
- Department of Nephrology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8507, Japan.
| | - Yuichiro Kitai
- Department of Nephrology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8507, Japan.
| | - Naoya Toriu
- Department of Nephrology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8507, Japan; Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology (ASHBi), Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan.
| | - Shinya Yamamoto
- Department of Nephrology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8507, Japan.
| | - Ken Mizuta
- Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology (ASHBi), Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan; Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan.
| | - Mitinori Saitou
- Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology (ASHBi), Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan; Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan; Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA), Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8397, Japan.
| | - Tomoyuki Tsukiyama
- Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology (ASHBi), Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan; Research Center for Animal Life Science, Shiga University of Medical Science, Shiga, 520-2192, Japan.
| | - Ichiro Taniuchi
- Laboratory for Transcriptional Regulation, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, 230-0045, Japan.
| | - Motomi Osato
- International Research Center for Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, 860-0811, Japan.
| | - Motoko Yanagita
- Department of Nephrology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8507, Japan; Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology (ASHBi), Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan.
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6
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Kim S, Koppitch K, Parvez RK, Guo J, Achieng M, Schnell J, Lindström NO, McMahon AP. Comparative single-cell analyses identify shared and divergent features of human and mouse kidney development. Dev Cell 2024:S1534-5807(24)00450-7. [PMID: 39121855 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2024.07.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2023] [Revised: 04/02/2024] [Accepted: 07/12/2024] [Indexed: 08/12/2024]
Abstract
The mammalian kidney maintains fluid homeostasis through diverse epithelial cell types generated from nephron and ureteric progenitor cells. To extend a developmental understanding of the kidney's epithelial networks, we compared chromatin organization (single-nuclear assay for transposase-accessible chromatin sequencing [ATAC-seq]; 112,864 nuclei) and gene expression (single-cell/nuclear RNA sequencing [RNA-seq]; 109,477 cells/nuclei) in the developing human (10.6-17.6 weeks; n = 10) and mouse (post-natal day [P]0; n = 10) kidney, supplementing analysis with published mouse datasets from earlier stages. Single-cell/nuclear datasets were analyzed at a species level, and then nephron and ureteric cellular lineages were extracted and integrated into a common, cross-species, multimodal dataset. Comparative computational analyses identified conserved and divergent features of chromatin organization and linked gene activity, identifying species-specific and cell-type-specific regulatory programs. In situ validation of human-enriched gene activity points to human-specific signaling interactions in kidney development. Further, human-specific enhancer regions were linked to kidney diseases through genome-wide association studies (GWASs), highlighting the potential for clinical insight from developmental modeling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sunghyun Kim
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Kari Koppitch
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Riana K Parvez
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Jinjin Guo
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - MaryAnne Achieng
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Jack Schnell
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Nils O Lindström
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Andrew P McMahon
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
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Schnell J, Miao Z, Achieng M, Fausto CC, Wang V, Kuyper FD, Thornton ME, Grubbs B, Kim J, Lindström NO. Stepwise developmental mimicry generates proximal-biased kidney organoids. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.28.601028. [PMID: 39005387 PMCID: PMC11244853 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.28.601028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/16/2024]
Abstract
The kidney maintains body fluid homeostasis by reabsorbing essential compounds and excreting waste. Proximal tubule cells, crucial for renal reabsorption of a range of sugars, ions, and amino acids, are highly susceptible to damage, leading to pathologies necessitating dialysis and kidney transplants. While human pluripotent stem cell-derived kidney organoids are used for modeling renal development, disease, and injury, the formation of proximal nephron cells in these 3D structures is incomplete. Here, we describe how to drive the development of proximal tubule precursors in kidney organoids by following a blueprint of in vivo human nephrogenesis. Transient manipulation of the PI3K signaling pathway activates Notch signaling in the early nephron and drives nephrons toward a proximal precursor state. These "proximal-biased" (PB) organoid nephrons proceed to generate proximal nephron precursor cells. Single-cell transcriptional analyses across the organoid nephron differentiation, comparing control and PB types, confirm the requirement of transient Notch signaling for proximal development. Indicative of functional maturity, PB organoids demonstrate dextran and albumin uptake, akin to in vivo proximal tubules. Moreover, PB organoids are highly sensitive to nephrotoxic agents, display an injury response, and drive expression of HAVCR1 / KIM1 , an early proximal-specific marker of kidney injury. Injured PB organoids show evidence of collapsed tubules, DNA damage, and upregulate the injury-response marker SOX9 . The PB organoid model therefore has functional relevance and potential for modeling mechanisms underpinning nephron injury. These advances improve the use of iPSC-derived kidney organoids as tools to understand developmental nephrology, model disease, test novel therapeutics, and for understanding human renal physiology.
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8
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Chambers BE, Weaver NE, Lara CM, Nguyen TK, Wingert RA. (Zebra)fishing for nephrogenesis genes. Tissue Barriers 2024; 12:2219605. [PMID: 37254823 PMCID: PMC11042071 DOI: 10.1080/21688370.2023.2219605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Kidney disease is a devastating condition affecting millions of people worldwide, where over 100,000 patients in the United States alone remain waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant. Concomitant with a surge in personalized medicine, single-gene mutations, and polygenic risk alleles have been brought to the forefront as core causes of a spectrum of renal disorders. With the increasing prevalence of kidney disease, it is imperative to make substantial strides in the field of kidney genetics. Nephrons, the core functional units of the kidney, are epithelial tubules that act as gatekeepers of body homeostasis by absorbing and secreting ions, water, and small molecules to filter the blood. Each nephron contains a series of proximal and distal segments with explicit metabolic functions. The embryonic zebrafish provides an ideal platform to systematically dissect the genetic cues governing kidney development. Here, we review the use of zebrafish to discover nephrogenesis genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brooke E. Chambers
- Department of Biological Sciences, Center for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, Center for Zebrafish Research, Boler-Parseghian Center for Rare and Neglected Diseases, Warren Center for Drug Discovery, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana (IN), USA
| | - Nicole E. Weaver
- Department of Biological Sciences, Center for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, Center for Zebrafish Research, Boler-Parseghian Center for Rare and Neglected Diseases, Warren Center for Drug Discovery, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana (IN), USA
| | - Caroline M. Lara
- Department of Biological Sciences, Center for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, Center for Zebrafish Research, Boler-Parseghian Center for Rare and Neglected Diseases, Warren Center for Drug Discovery, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana (IN), USA
| | - Thanh Khoa Nguyen
- Department of Biological Sciences, Center for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, Center for Zebrafish Research, Boler-Parseghian Center for Rare and Neglected Diseases, Warren Center for Drug Discovery, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana (IN), USA
| | - Rebecca A. Wingert
- Department of Biological Sciences, Center for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, Center for Zebrafish Research, Boler-Parseghian Center for Rare and Neglected Diseases, Warren Center for Drug Discovery, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana (IN), USA
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9
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Ng-Blichfeldt JP, Stewart BJ, Clatworthy MR, Williams JM, Röper K. Identification of a core transcriptional program driving the human renal mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition. Dev Cell 2024; 59:595-612.e8. [PMID: 38340720 PMCID: PMC7616043 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2024.01.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Revised: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
During kidney development, nephron epithelia arise de novo from fate-committed mesenchymal progenitors through a mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition (MET). Downstream of fate specification, transcriptional mechanisms that drive establishment of epithelial morphology are poorly understood. We used human iPSC-derived renal organoids, which recapitulate nephrogenesis, to investigate mechanisms controlling renal MET. Multi-ome profiling via snRNA-seq and ATAC-seq of organoids identified dynamic changes in gene expression and chromatin accessibility driven by activators and repressors throughout MET. CRISPR interference identified that paired box 8 (PAX8) is essential for initiation of MET in human renal organoids, contrary to in vivo mouse studies, likely by activating a cell-adhesion program. While Wnt/β-catenin signaling specifies nephron fate, we find that it must be attenuated to allow hepatocyte nuclear factor 1-beta (HNF1B) and TEA-domain (TEAD) transcription factors to drive completion of MET. These results identify the interplay between fate commitment and morphogenesis in the developing human kidney, with implications for understanding both developmental kidney diseases and aberrant epithelial plasticity following adult renal tubular injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- John-Poul Ng-Blichfeldt
- MRC-Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge CB2 0QH, UK
| | - Benjamin J Stewart
- Molecular Immunity Unit, Department of Medicine, MRC-Laboratory of Molecular Biology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; Cellular Genetics, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK
| | - Menna R Clatworthy
- Molecular Immunity Unit, Department of Medicine, MRC-Laboratory of Molecular Biology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Diseases, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Julie M Williams
- Bioscience Renal, Research and Early Development, Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolism, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Katja Röper
- MRC-Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge CB2 0QH, UK.
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Tsujimoto H, Hoshina A, Mae SI, Araoka T, Changting W, Ijiri Y, Nakajima-Koyama M, Sakurai S, Okita K, Mizuta K, Niwa A, Saito MK, Saitou M, Yamamoto T, Graneli C, Woollard KJ, Osafune K. Selective induction of human renal interstitial progenitor-like cell lineages from iPSCs reveals development of mesangial and EPO-producing cells. Cell Rep 2024; 43:113602. [PMID: 38237600 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Revised: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Recent regenerative studies using human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) have developed multiple kidney-lineage cells and organoids. However, to further form functional segments of the kidney, interactions of epithelial and interstitial cells are required. Here we describe a selective differentiation of renal interstitial progenitor-like cells (IPLCs) from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) by modifying our previous induction method for nephron progenitor cells (NPCs) and analyzing mouse embryonic interstitial progenitor cell (IPC) development. Our IPLCs combined with hiPSC-derived NPCs and nephric duct cells form nephrogenic niche- and mesangium-like structures in vitro. Furthermore, we successfully induce hiPSC-derived IPLCs to differentiate into mesangial and erythropoietin-producing cell lineages in vitro by screening differentiation-inducing factors and confirm that p38 MAPK, hypoxia, and VEGF signaling pathways are involved in the differentiation of mesangial-lineage cells. These findings indicate that our IPC-lineage induction method contributes to kidney regeneration and developmental research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiraku Tsujimoto
- Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA), Kyoto University, 53 Kawahara-cho, Shogoin, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan; Rege Nephro Co., Ltd., Med-Pharm Collaboration Building, Kyoto University, 46-29 Yoshidashimoadachi-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Azusa Hoshina
- Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA), Kyoto University, 53 Kawahara-cho, Shogoin, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan
| | - Shin-Ichi Mae
- Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA), Kyoto University, 53 Kawahara-cho, Shogoin, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan
| | - Toshikazu Araoka
- Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA), Kyoto University, 53 Kawahara-cho, Shogoin, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan
| | - Wang Changting
- Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA), Kyoto University, 53 Kawahara-cho, Shogoin, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan
| | - Yoshihiro Ijiri
- Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA), Kyoto University, 53 Kawahara-cho, Shogoin, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan
| | - May Nakajima-Koyama
- Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA), Kyoto University, 53 Kawahara-cho, Shogoin, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan
| | - Satoko Sakurai
- Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA), Kyoto University, 53 Kawahara-cho, Shogoin, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan
| | - Kazusa Okita
- Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA), Kyoto University, 53 Kawahara-cho, Shogoin, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan
| | - Ken Mizuta
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Akira Niwa
- Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA), Kyoto University, 53 Kawahara-cho, Shogoin, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan
| | - Megumu K Saito
- Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA), Kyoto University, 53 Kawahara-cho, Shogoin, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan
| | - Mitinori Saitou
- Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA), Kyoto University, 53 Kawahara-cho, Shogoin, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan; Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan; Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology (WPI-ASHBi), Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Takuya Yamamoto
- Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA), Kyoto University, 53 Kawahara-cho, Shogoin, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan; Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology (WPI-ASHBi), Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan; Medical-risk Avoidance based on iPS Cells Team, RIKEN Center for Advanced Intelligence Project (AIP), Kyoto 606-8507, Japan
| | - Cecilia Graneli
- BioPharmaceuticals R&D Cell Therapy, Research and Early Development, Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolic (CVRM), BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, 431 83 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Kevin J Woollard
- Bioscience Renal, Research and Early Development, Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolic, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge CB2 0AA, UK
| | - Kenji Osafune
- Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA), Kyoto University, 53 Kawahara-cho, Shogoin, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan.
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Liu J, Prahl LS, Huang A, Hughes AJ. Measurement of adhesion and traction of cells at high yield (MATCHY) reveals an energetic ratchet driving nephron condensation. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.07.579368. [PMID: 38370771 PMCID: PMC10871361 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.07.579368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
Engineering of embryonic strategies for tissue-building has extraordinary promise for regenerative medicine. This has led to a resurgence in interest in the relationship between cell biophysical properties and morphological transitions. However, mapping gene or protein expression data to cell biophysical properties to physical morphogenesis remains challenging with current techniques. Here we present MATCHY (multiplexed adhesion and traction of cells at high yield). MATCHY advances the multiplexing and throughput capabilities of existing traction force and cell-cell adhesion assays using microfabrication and an automated computation scheme with machine learning-driven cell segmentation. Both biophysical assays are coupled with serial downstream immunofluorescence to extract cell type/signaling state information. MATCHY is especially suited to complex primary tissue-, organoid-, or biopsy-derived cell mixtures since it does not rely on a priori knowledge of cell surface markers, cell sorting, or use of lineage-specific reporter animals. We first validate MATCHY on canine kidney epithelial cells engineered for RET tyrosine kinase expression and quantify a relationship between downstream signaling and cell traction. We go on to create a biophysical atlas of primary cells dissociated from the mouse embryonic kidney and use MATCHY to identify distinct biophysical states along the nephron differentiation trajectory. Our data complement expression-level knowledge of adhesion molecule changes that accompany nephron differentiation with quantitative biophysical information. These data reveal an 'energetic ratchet' that explains spatial nephron progenitor cell condensation from the niche as they differentiate, which we validate through agent-based computational simulation. MATCHY offers automated cell biophysical characterization at >104-cell throughput, a highly enabling advance for fundamental studies and new synthetic tissue design strategies for regenerative medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiageng Liu
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 19104, PA, USA
- Bioengineering Graduate Group, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 19104, PA, USA
| | - Louis S. Prahl
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 19104, PA, USA
| | - Aria Huang
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 19104, PA, USA
- Bioengineering Graduate Group, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 19104, PA, USA
| | - Alex J. Hughes
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 19104, PA, USA
- Bioengineering Graduate Group, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 19104, PA, USA
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 19104, PA, USA
- Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Group, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 19104, PA, USA
- Center for Soft and Living Matter, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 19104, PA, USA
- Institute for Regenerative Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 19104, PA, USA
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12
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Sewerin S, Aurnhammer C, Skubic C, Blagotinšek Cokan K, Jeruc J, Rozman D, Pfister F, Dittrich K, Mayer B, Schönauer R, Petzold F, Halbritter J. Mechanisms of pathogenicity and the quest for genetic modifiers of kidney disease in branchiootorenal syndrome. Clin Kidney J 2024; 17:sfad260. [PMID: 38213489 PMCID: PMC10783239 DOI: 10.1093/ckj/sfad260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Backgound Branchiootorenal (BOR) syndrome is an autosomal dominant disorder caused by pathogenic EYA1 variants and clinically characterized by auricular malformations with hearing loss, branchial arch anomalies, and congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract. BOR phenotypes are highly variable and heterogenous. While random monoallelic expression is assumed to explain this phenotypic heterogeneity, the potential role of modifier genes has not yet been explored. Methods Through thorough phenotyping and exome sequencing, we studied one family with disease presentation in at least four generations in both clinical and genetic terms. Functional investigation of the single associated EYA1 variant c.1698+1G>A included splice site analysis and assessment of EYA1 distribution in patient-derived fibroblasts. The candidate modifier gene CYP51A1 was evaluated by histopathological analysis of murine Cyp51+/- and Cyp51-/- kidneys. As the gene encodes the enzyme lanosterol 14α-demethylase, we assessed sterol intermediates in patient blood samples as well. Results The EYA1 variant c.1698+1G>A resulted in functional deletion of the EYA domain by exon skipping. The EYA domain mediates protein-protein interactions between EYA1 and co-regulators of transcription. EYA1 abundance was reduced in the nuclear compartment of patient-derived fibroblasts, suggesting impaired nuclear translocation of these protein complexes. Within the affected family, renal phenotypes spanned from normal kidney function in adulthood to chronic kidney failure in infancy. By analyzing exome sequencing data for variants that potentially play roles as genetic modifiers, we identified a canonical splice site alteration in CYP51A1 as the strongest candidate variant. Conclusion In this study, we demonstrate pathogenicity of EYA1 c.1698+1G>A, propose a mechanism for dysfunction of mutant EYA1, and conjecture CYP51A1 as a potential genetic modifier of renal involvement in BOR syndrome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Sewerin
- Division of Nephrology, University of Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany
- Current affiliation: Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Cene Skubic
- Institute of Biochemistry, Centre for Functional Genomics and Bio-Chips, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Kaja Blagotinšek Cokan
- Institute of Biochemistry, Centre for Functional Genomics and Bio-Chips, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Jera Jeruc
- Institute of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Damjana Rozman
- Institute of Biochemistry, Centre for Functional Genomics and Bio-Chips, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Frederick Pfister
- Institute of Pathology, University of Erlangen Medical Center, Erlangen, Germany
- Current affiliation: Humanpathologie Dr. med. Manfred Weiß MVZ GmbH, Erlangen-Tennenlohe, Germany
| | - Katalin Dittrich
- Division of Pediatric Nephrology, University of Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Brigitte Mayer
- Division of Pediatric Nephrology, University of Dresden Medical Center, Dresden, Germany
| | - Ria Schönauer
- Division of Nephrology, University of Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany
- Current affiliation: Department of Nephrology and Medical Intensive Care, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Friederike Petzold
- Division of Nephrology, University of Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jan Halbritter
- Division of Nephrology, University of Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany
- Current affiliation: Department of Nephrology and Medical Intensive Care, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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13
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Smith KD, Prince DK, MacDonald JW, Bammler TK, Akilesh S. Challenges and Opportunities for the Clinical Translation of Spatial Transcriptomics Technologies. GLOMERULAR DISEASES 2024; 4:49-63. [PMID: 38600956 PMCID: PMC11006413 DOI: 10.1159/000538344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 03/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
Background The first spatially resolved transcriptomics platforms, GeoMx (Nanostring) and Visium (10x Genomics) were launched in 2019 and were recognized as the method of the year by Nature Methods in 2020. The subsequent refinement and expansion of these and other technologies to increase -plex, work with formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue, and analyze protein in addition to gene expression have only added to their significance and impact on the biomedical sciences. In this perspective, we focus on two platforms for spatial transcriptomics, GeoMx and Visium, and how these platforms have been used to provide novel insight into kidney disease. The choice of platform will depend largely on experimental questions and design. The application of these technologies to clinically sourced biopsies presents the opportunity to identify specific tissue biomarkers that help define disease etiology and more precisely target therapeutic interventions in the future. Summary In this review, we provide a description of the existing and emerging technologies that can be used to capture spatially resolved gene and protein expression data from tissue. These technologies have provided new insight into the spatial heterogeneity of diseases, how reactions to disease are distributed within a tissue, which cells are affected, and molecular pathways that predict disease and response to therapy. Key Message The upcoming years will see intense use of spatial transcriptomics technologies to better define the pathophysiology of kidney diseases and develop novel diagnostic tests to guide personalized treatments for patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly D. Smith
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - James W. MacDonald
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Theo K. Bammler
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Shreeram Akilesh
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Kidney Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
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14
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Pode-Shakked N, Slack M, Sundaram N, Schreiber R, McCracken KW, Dekel B, Helmrath M, Kopan R. RAAS-deficient organoids indicate delayed angiogenesis as a possible cause for autosomal recessive renal tubular dysgenesis. Nat Commun 2023; 14:8159. [PMID: 38071212 PMCID: PMC10710424 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43795-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Autosomal Recessive Renal Tubular Dysgenesis (AR-RTD) is a fatal genetic disorder characterized by complete absence or severe depletion of proximal tubules (PT) in patients harboring pathogenic variants in genes involved in the Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System. To uncover the pathomechanism of AR-RTD, differentiation of ACE-/- and AGTR1-/- induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and AR-RTD patient-derived iPSCs into kidney organoids is leveraged. Comprehensive marker analyses show that both mutant and control organoids generate indistinguishable PT in vitro under normoxic (21% O2) or hypoxic (2% O2) conditions. Fully differentiated (d24) AGTR1-/- and control organoids transplanted under the kidney capsule of immunodeficient mice engraft and mature well, as do renal vesicle stage (d14) control organoids. By contrast, d14 AGTR1-/- organoids fail to engraft due to insufficient pro-angiogenic VEGF-A expression. Notably, growth under hypoxic conditions induces VEGF-A expression and rescues engraftment of AGTR1-/- organoids at d14, as does ectopic expression of VEGF-A. We propose that PT dysgenesis in AR-RTD is primarily a non-autonomous consequence of delayed angiogenesis, starving PT at a critical time in their development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naomi Pode-Shakked
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA
- Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
- Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Megan Slack
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA
| | - Nambirajan Sundaram
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA
| | - Ruth Schreiber
- Department of Pediatrics, Soroka University Medical Center, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Kyle W McCracken
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA
- Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Benjamin Dekel
- Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Pediatric Stem Cell Research Institute and division of pediatric nephrology, Edmond and Lily Safra Children's Hospital, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Michael Helmrath
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA
| | - Raphael Kopan
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA.
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA.
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15
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Tabibzadeh N, Satlin LM, Jain S, Morizane R. Navigating the kidney organoid: insights into assessment and enhancement of nephron function. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 2023; 325:F695-F706. [PMID: 37767571 PMCID: PMC10878724 DOI: 10.1152/ajprenal.00166.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Revised: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Kidney organoids are three-dimensional structures generated from pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) that are capable of recapitulating the major structures of mammalian kidneys. As this technology is expected to be a promising tool for studying renal biology, drug discovery, and regenerative medicine, the functional capacity of kidney organoids has emerged as a critical question in the field. Kidney organoids produced using several protocols harbor key structures of native kidneys. Here, we review the current state, recent advances, and future challenges in the functional characterization of kidney organoids, strategies to accelerate and enhance kidney organoid functions, and access to PSC resources to advance organoid research. The strategies to construct physiologically relevant kidney organoids include the use of organ-on-a-chip technologies that integrate fluid circulation and improve organoid maturation. These approaches result in increased expression of the major tubular transporters and elements of mechanosensory signaling pathways suggestive of improved functionality. Nevertheless, continuous efforts remain crucial to create kidney tissue that more faithfully replicates physiological conditions for future applications in kidney regeneration medicine and their ethical use in patient care.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Kidney organoids are three-dimensional structures derived from stem cells, mimicking the major components of mammalian kidneys. Although they show great promise, their functional capacity has become a critical question. This review explores the advancements and challenges in evaluating and enhancing kidney organoid function, including the use of organ-on-chip technologies, multiomics data, and in vivo transplantation. Integrating these approaches to further enhance their physiological relevance will continue to advance disease modeling and regenerative medicine applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nahid Tabibzadeh
- Nephrology Division, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Lisa M Satlin
- Department of Pediatrics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States
| | - Sanjay Jain
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States
- Department of Pathology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States
- Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States
| | - Ryuji Morizane
- Nephrology Division, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
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Stevenson MJ, Phanor SK, Patel U, Gisselbrecht SS, Bulyk ML, O'Brien LL. Altered binding affinity of SIX1-Q177R correlates with enhanced WNT5A and WNT pathway effector expression in Wilms tumor. Dis Model Mech 2023; 16:dmm050208. [PMID: 37815464 PMCID: PMC10668032 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.050208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Wilms tumors present as an amalgam of varying proportions of tissues located within the developing kidney, one being the nephrogenic blastema comprising multipotent nephron progenitor cells (NPCs). The recurring missense mutation Q177R in NPC transcription factors SIX1 and SIX2 is most correlated with tumors of blastemal histology and is significantly associated with relapse. Yet, the transcriptional regulatory consequences of SIX1/2-Q177R that might promote tumor progression and recurrence have not been investigated extensively. Utilizing multiple Wilms tumor transcriptomic datasets, we identified upregulation of the gene encoding non-canonical WNT ligand WNT5A in addition to other WNT pathway effectors in SIX1/2-Q177R mutant tumors. SIX1 ChIP-seq datasets from Wilms tumors revealed shared binding sites for SIX1/SIX1-Q177R within a promoter of WNT5A and at putative distal cis-regulatory elements (CREs). We demonstrate colocalization of SIX1 and WNT5A in Wilms tumor tissue and utilize in vitro assays that support SIX1 and SIX1-Q177R activation of expression from the WNT5A CREs, as well as enhanced binding affinity within the WNT5A promoter that may promote the differential expression of WNT5A and other WNT pathway effectors associated with SIX1-Q177R tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J. Stevenson
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Sabrina K. Phanor
- Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Urvi Patel
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Stephen S. Gisselbrecht
- Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Martha L. Bulyk
- Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Lori L. O'Brien
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
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Yoshimura Y, Muto Y, Omachi K, Miner JH, Humphreys BD. Elucidating the Proximal Tubule HNF4A Gene Regulatory Network in Human Kidney Organoids. J Am Soc Nephrol 2023; 34:1672-1686. [PMID: 37488681 PMCID: PMC10561821 DOI: 10.1681/asn.0000000000000197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 07/08/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023] Open
Abstract
SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT HNF4 genes promote proximal tubule differentiation in mice, but their function in human nephrogenesis is not fully defined. This study uses human pluripotent stem cell (PSC)-derived kidney organoids as a model to investigate HNF4A and HNF4G functions. The loss of HNF4A , but not HNF4G , impaired reabsorption-related molecule expression and microvilli formation in human proximal tubules. Cleavage under targets and release using nuclease (CUT&RUN) sequencing and CRISPR-mediated transcriptional activation (CRISPRa) further confirm that HNF4A directly regulates its target genes. Human kidney organoids provide a good model for studying transcriptional regulation in human kidney development. BACKGROUND The proximal tubule plays a major role in electrolyte homeostasis. Previous studies have shown that HNF4A regulates reabsorption-related genes and promotes proximal tubule differentiation during murine kidney development. However, the functions and gene regulatory mechanisms of HNF4 family genes in human nephrogenesis have not yet been investigated. METHODS We generated HNF4A -knock out (KO), HNF4G -KO, and HNF4A/4G -double KO human pluripotent stem cell lines, differentiated each into kidney organoids, and used immunofluorescence analysis, electron microscopy, and RNA-seq to analyze them. We probed HNF4A-binding sites genome-wide by cleavage under targets and release using nuclease sequencing in both human adult kidneys and kidney organoid-derived proximal tubular cells. Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats-mediated transcriptional activation validated HNF4A and HNF4G function in proximal tubules during kidney organoid differentiation. RESULTS Organoids lacking HNF4A , but not HNF4G , showed reduced expression of transport-related, endocytosis-related, and brush border-related genes, as well as disorganized brush border structure in the apical lumen of the organoid proximal tubule. Cleavage under targets and release using nuclease revealed that HNF4A primarily bound promoters and enhancers of genes that were downregulated in HNF4A -KO, suggesting direct regulation. Induced expression of HNF4A or HNF4G by CRISPR-mediated transcriptional activation drove increased expression of selected target genes during kidney organoid differentiation. CONCLUSIONS This study reveals regulatory mechanisms of HNF4A and HNF4G during human proximal tubule differentiation. The experimental strategy can be applied more broadly to investigate transcriptional regulation in human kidney development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasuhiro Yoshimura
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Yoshiharu Muto
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Kohei Omachi
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Jeffrey H. Miner
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Benjamin D. Humphreys
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
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18
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Der B, Bugacov H, Briantseva BM, McMahon AP. Cadherin Adhesion Complexes Direct Cell Aggregation in the Epithelial Transition of Wnt-Induced Nephron Progenitor Cells. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.08.27.555021. [PMID: 38654822 PMCID: PMC11037868 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.27.555021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
In the developing mammalian kidney, nephron formation is initiated by a subset of nephron progenitor cells (NPCs). Wnt input activates a β-catenin ( Ctnnb1 )-driven, transcriptional nephrogenic program. In conjunction, induced mesenchymal NPCs transition through a pre-tubular aggregate to an epithelial renal vesicle, the precursor for each nephron. How this critical mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition (MET) is regulated is unclear. In an in vitro mouse NPC culture model, activation of the Wnt pathway results in the aggregation of induced NPCs into closely-packed, cell clusters. Genetic removal of β-catenin resulted in a failure of both Wnt pathway-directed transcriptional activation and the formation of aggregated cell clusters. Modulating extracellular Ca 2+ levels showed cell-cell contacts were Ca 2+ -dependent, suggesting a role for cadherin (Cdh)-directed cell adhesion. Molecular analysis identified Cdh2 , Cdh4 and Cdh11 in uninduced NPCs and the up-regulation of Cdh3 and Cdh4 accompanying the Wnt pathway-induced MET. Genetic removal of all four cadherins, and independent removal of α-catenin, which couples Cdh-β-catenin membrane complexes to the actin cytoskeleton, abolished cell aggregation in response to Wnt pathway activation. However, the β-catenin driven inductive transcriptional program was unaltered. Together with the accompanying paper (Bugacov et al ., submitted), these data demonstrate that distinct cellular activities of β-catenin - transcriptional regulation and cell adhesion - combine in the mammalian kidney programs generating differentiated epithelial nephron precursors from mesenchymal nephron progenitors. Summary statement Our study highlights the role of Wnt-β-catenin pathway regulation of cadherin-mediated cell adhesion in the mesenchymal to epithelial transition of induced nephron progenitor cells.
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Bugacov H, Der B, Kim S, Lindström NO, McMahon AP. Canonical Wnt transcriptional complexes are essential for induction of nephrogenesis but not maintenance or proliferation of nephron progenitors. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.08.20.554044. [PMID: 37662369 PMCID: PMC10473675 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.20.554044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
Wnt regulated transcriptional programs are associated with both the maintenance of mammalian nephron progenitor cells (NPC) and their induction, initiating the process of nephrogenesis. How opposing transcriptional roles are regulated remain unclear. Using an in vitro model replicating in vivo events, we examined the requirement for canonical Wnt transcriptional complexes in NPC regulation. In canonical transcription, Lef/Tcf DNA binding proteins associate the transcriptional co-activator β-catenin. Wnt signaling is readily substituted by CHIR99021, a small molecule antagonist of glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK3β). GSK3β inhibition blocks Gskβ-dependent turnover of β-catenin, enabling formation of Lef/Tcf/β-catenin transcriptional complexes, and enhancer-mediated transcriptional activation. Removal of β-catenin activity from NPCs under cell expansion conditions (low CHIR) demonstrated a non-transcriptional role for β-catenin in the CHIR-dependent proliferation of NPCs. In contrast, CHIR-mediated induction of nephrogenesis, on switching from low to high CHIR, was dependent on Lef/Tcf and β-catenin transcriptional activity. These studies point to a non-transcriptional mechanism for β-catenin in regulation of NPCs, and potentially other stem progenitor cell types. Further, analysis of the β-catenin-directed transcriptional response provides new insight into induction of nephrogenesis. Summary Statement The study provides a mechanistic understanding of Wnt/ β-catenin activity in self-renewal and differentiation of mammalian nephron progenitors.
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20
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Kim S, Koppitch K, Parvez RK, Guo J, Achieng M, Schnell J, Lindström NO, McMahon AP. Comparative single-cell analyses identify shared and divergent features of human and mouse kidney development. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.05.16.540880. [PMID: 37293066 PMCID: PMC10245679 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.16.540880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Mammalian kidneys maintain fluid homeostasis through the cellular activity of nephrons and the conjoined collecting system. Each epithelial network originates from distinct progenitor cell populations that reciprocally interact during development. To extend our understanding of human and mouse kidney development, we profiled chromatin organization (ATAC-seq) and gene expression (RNA-seq) in developing human and mouse kidneys. Data were analyzed at a species level and then integrated into a common, cross-species multimodal data set. Comparative analysis of cell types and developmental trajectories identified conserved and divergent features of chromatin organization and linked gene activity, revealing species- and cell-type specific regulatory programs. Identification of human-specific enhancer regions linked through GWAS studies to kidney disease highlights the potential of developmental modeling to provide clinical insight.
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21
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Gao G, Li X, Jiang Z, Osorio L, Tang YL, Yu X, Jin G, Zhou Z. Isthmin-1 (Ism1) modulates renal branching morphogenesis and mesenchyme condensation during early kidney development. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2378. [PMID: 37185772 PMCID: PMC10130008 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37992-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 04/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The outgrowth of epithelial bud followed by reiterated bifurcations during renal development is driven by the ligand-receptor interactions between the epithelium and the surrounding mesenchyme. Here, by exploring ligand-receptor interactions in E10.5 and E11.5 kidneys by single cell RNA-seq, we find that Isthmin1 (Ism1), a secreted protein, resembles Gdnf expression and modulates kidney branching morphogenesis. Mice deficient for Ism1 exhibit defective ureteric bud bifurcation and impaired metanephric mesenchyme condensation in E11.5 embryos, attributable to the compromised Gdnf/Ret signaling, ultimately leading to renal agenesis and hypoplasia/dysplasia. By HRP-induced proximity labelling, we further identify integrin α8β1 as a receptor of Ism1 in E11.5 kidney and demonstrate that Ism1 promoted cell-cell adhesion through interacting with Integrin α8β1, the receptor whose activation is responsible for Gdnf expression and mesenchyme condensation. Taken together, our work reveals Ism1 as a critical regulator of cell-cell interaction that modulates Gdnf/Ret signaling during early kidney development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ge Gao
- Guangdong Cardiovascular Institute, Medical Research Institute, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
- School of Biomedical Sciences, LKS Faculty of medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Xiaoping Li
- Department of Hepatic Surgery and Liver Transplantation Center of the Third Affiliated Hospital, Organ Transplantation Institute, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510630, Guangdong, China
| | - Zhixin Jiang
- School of Biomedical Sciences, LKS Faculty of medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Liliana Osorio
- School of Biomedical Sciences, LKS Faculty of medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Ying Lam Tang
- School of Biomedical Sciences, LKS Faculty of medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Xueqing Yu
- Guangdong Cardiovascular Institute, Medical Research Institute, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Guoxiang Jin
- Guangdong Cardiovascular Institute, Medical Research Institute, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Zhongjun Zhou
- Guangdong Cardiovascular Institute, Medical Research Institute, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
- School of Biomedical Sciences, LKS Faculty of medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
- Reproductive Medical Center, The University of Hong Kong - Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, China.
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22
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Drummond BE, Ercanbrack WS, Wingert RA. Modeling Podocyte Ontogeny and Podocytopathies with the Zebrafish. J Dev Biol 2023; 11:9. [PMID: 36810461 PMCID: PMC9944608 DOI: 10.3390/jdb11010009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2023] [Revised: 02/11/2023] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Podocytes are exquisitely fashioned kidney cells that serve an essential role in the process of blood filtration. Congenital malformation or damage to podocytes has dire consequences and initiates a cascade of pathological changes leading to renal disease states known as podocytopathies. In addition, animal models have been integral to discovering the molecular pathways that direct the development of podocytes. In this review, we explore how researchers have used the zebrafish to illuminate new insights about the processes of podocyte ontogeny, model podocytopathies, and create opportunities to discover future therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Rebecca A. Wingert
- Department of Biological Sciences, Center for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, Center for Zebrafish Research, Boler-Parseghian Center for Rare and Neglected Diseases, Warren Center for Drug Discovery, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
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23
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The "3Ds" of Growing Kidney Organoids: Advances in Nephron Development, Disease Modeling, and Drug Screening. Cells 2023; 12:cells12040549. [PMID: 36831216 PMCID: PMC9954122 DOI: 10.3390/cells12040549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Revised: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Abstract
A kidney organoid is a three-dimensional (3D) cellular aggregate grown from stem cells in vitro that undergoes self-organization, recapitulating aspects of normal renal development to produce nephron structures that resemble the native kidney organ. These miniature kidney-like structures can also be derived from primary patient cells and thus provide simplified context to observe how mutations in kidney-disease-associated genes affect organogenesis and physiological function. In the past several years, advances in kidney organoid technologies have achieved the formation of renal organoids with enhanced numbers of specialized cell types, less heterogeneity, and more architectural complexity. Microfluidic bioreactor culture devices, single-cell transcriptomics, and bioinformatic analyses have accelerated the development of more sophisticated renal organoids and tailored them to become increasingly amenable to high-throughput experimentation. However, many significant challenges remain in realizing the use of kidney organoids for renal replacement therapies. This review presents an overview of the renal organoid field and selected highlights of recent cutting-edge kidney organoid research with a focus on embryonic development, modeling renal disease, and personalized drug screening.
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24
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Wang S, Sun ST, Zhang XY, Ding HR, Yuan Y, He JJ, Wang MS, Yang B, Li YB. The Evolution of Single-Cell RNA Sequencing Technology and Application: Progress and Perspectives. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24032943. [PMID: 36769267 PMCID: PMC9918030 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24032943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2022] [Revised: 01/01/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
As an emerging sequencing technology, single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-Seq) has become a powerful tool for describing cell subpopulation classification and cell heterogeneity by achieving high-throughput and multidimensional analysis of individual cells and circumventing the shortcomings of traditional sequencing for detecting the average transcript level of cell populations. It has been applied to life science and medicine research fields such as tracking dynamic cell differentiation, revealing sensitive effector cells, and key molecular events of diseases. This review focuses on the recent technological innovations in scRNA-Seq, highlighting the latest research results with scRNA-Seq as the core technology in frontier research areas such as embryology, histology, oncology, and immunology. In addition, this review outlines the prospects for its innovative application in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) research and discusses the key issues currently being addressed by scRNA-Seq and its great potential for exploring disease diagnostic targets and uncovering drug therapeutic targets in combination with multiomics technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Bin Yang
- Correspondence: (B.Y.); (Y.-B.L.)
| | - Yu-Bo Li
- Correspondence: (B.Y.); (Y.-B.L.)
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25
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Corkins ME, Achieng M, DeLay BD, Krneta-Stankic V, Cain MP, Walker BL, Chen J, Lindström NO, Miller RK. A comparative study of cellular diversity between the Xenopus pronephric and mouse metanephric nephron. Kidney Int 2023; 103:77-86. [PMID: 36055600 PMCID: PMC9822858 DOI: 10.1016/j.kint.2022.07.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Revised: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
The kidney is an essential organ that ensures bodily fluid homeostasis and removes soluble waste products from the organism. Nephrons, the functional units of the kidney, comprise a blood filter, the glomerulus or glomus, and an epithelial tubule that processes the filtrate from the blood or coelom and selectively reabsorbs solutes, such as sugars, proteins, ions, and water, leaving waste products to be eliminated in the urine. Genes coding for transporters are segmentally expressed, enabling the nephron to sequentially process the filtrate. The Xenopus embryonic kidney, the pronephros, which consists of a single large nephron, has served as a valuable model to identify genes involved in nephron formation and patterning. Therefore, the developmental patterning program that generates these segments is of great interest. Prior work has defined the gene expression profiles of Xenopus nephron segments via in situ hybridization strategies, but a comprehensive understanding of the cellular makeup of the pronephric kidney remains incomplete. Here, we carried out single-cell mRNA sequencing of the functional Xenopus pronephric nephron and evaluated its cellular composition through comparative analyses with previous Xenopus studies and single-cell mRNA sequencing of the adult mouse kidney. This study reconstructs the cellular makeup of the pronephric kidney and identifies conserved cells, segments, and associated gene expression profiles. Thus, our data highlight significant conservation in podocytes, proximal and distal tubule cells, and divergence in cellular composition underlying the capacity of each nephron to remove wastes in the form of urine, while emphasizing the Xenopus pronephros as a model for physiology and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark E Corkins
- Department of Pediatrics, Pediatric Research Center, McGovern Medical School, UTHealth Houston, Houston, Texas, USA.
| | - MaryAnne Achieng
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Bridget D DeLay
- Department of Pediatrics, Pediatric Research Center, McGovern Medical School, UTHealth Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Vanja Krneta-Stankic
- Department of Pediatrics, Pediatric Research Center, McGovern Medical School, UTHealth Houston, Houston, Texas, USA; Program in Genes and Development, MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Margo P Cain
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Division of Internal Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Brandy L Walker
- Department of Pediatrics, Pediatric Research Center, McGovern Medical School, UTHealth Houston, Houston, Texas, USA; Program in Genetics and Epigenetics, MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Jichao Chen
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Division of Internal Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA; Program in Genetics and Epigenetics, MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Nils O Lindström
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Rachel K Miller
- Department of Pediatrics, Pediatric Research Center, McGovern Medical School, UTHealth Houston, Houston, Texas, USA; Program in Genetics and Epigenetics, MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, Texas, USA; Department of Genetics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA; Program in Biochemistry and Cell Biology, MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, Texas, USA.
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26
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Davis JL, Kennedy C, Clerkin S, Treacy NJ, Dodd T, Moss C, Murphy A, Brazil DP, Cagney G, Brougham DF, Murad R, Finlay D, Vuori K, Crean J. Single-cell multiomics reveals the complexity of TGFβ signalling to chromatin in iPSC-derived kidney organoids. Commun Biol 2022; 5:1301. [PMID: 36435939 PMCID: PMC9701233 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-04264-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
TGFβ1 plays a regulatory role in the determination of renal cell fate and the progression of renal fibrosis. Here we show an association between SMAD3 and the histone methyltransferase, EZH2, during cell differentiation; ChIP-seq revealed that SMAD3 and EZH2 co-occupy the genome in iPSCs and in iPSC-derived nephron progenitors. Through integration of single cell gene expression and epigenome profiling, we identified de novo ACTA2+ve/POSTN+ve myofibroblasts in kidney organoids treated with TGFβ1, characterised by increased SMAD3-dependent cis chromatin accessibility and gene expression associated with fibroblast activation. We have identified fibrosis-associated regulons characterised by enrichment of SMAD3, AP1, the ETS family of transcription factors, and NUAK1, CREB3L1, and RARG, corresponding to enriched motifs at accessible loci identified by scATACseq. Treatment with the EZH2 specific inhibitor GSK343, blocked SMAD3-dependent cis co-accessibility and inhibited myofibroblast activation. This mechanism, through which TGFβ signals directly to chromatin, represents a critical determinant of fibrotic, differentiated states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica L. Davis
- grid.7886.10000 0001 0768 2743UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, UCD Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, 4 Ireland
| | - Ciaran Kennedy
- grid.7886.10000 0001 0768 2743UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, UCD Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, 4 Ireland
| | - Shane Clerkin
- grid.7886.10000 0001 0768 2743UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, UCD Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, 4 Ireland
| | - Niall J. Treacy
- grid.7886.10000 0001 0768 2743UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, UCD Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, 4 Ireland
| | - Thomas Dodd
- grid.7886.10000 0001 0768 2743UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, UCD Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, 4 Ireland
| | - Catherine Moss
- grid.7886.10000 0001 0768 2743UCD Genomics Core Facility, UCD Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, 4 Ireland
| | - Alison Murphy
- grid.7886.10000 0001 0768 2743UCD Genomics Core Facility, UCD Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, 4 Ireland
| | - Derek P. Brazil
- grid.4777.30000 0004 0374 7521Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine, Queen’s University Belfast, BT9 7BL Northern Ireland, UK
| | - Gerard Cagney
- grid.7886.10000 0001 0768 2743UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, UCD Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, 4 Ireland
| | - Dermot F. Brougham
- grid.7886.10000 0001 0768 2743UCD School of Chemistry, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, 4 Ireland
| | - Rabi Murad
- grid.479509.60000 0001 0163 8573Sanford Burnham Prebys Institute for Medical Discovery, La Jolla, CA 92037 USA
| | - Darren Finlay
- grid.479509.60000 0001 0163 8573Sanford Burnham Prebys Institute for Medical Discovery, La Jolla, CA 92037 USA
| | - Kristiina Vuori
- grid.479509.60000 0001 0163 8573Sanford Burnham Prebys Institute for Medical Discovery, La Jolla, CA 92037 USA
| | - John Crean
- UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, UCD Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, 4, Ireland.
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27
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Hnf1b renal expression directed by a distal enhancer responsive to Pax8. Sci Rep 2022; 12:19921. [PMID: 36402859 PMCID: PMC9675860 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-21171-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Xenopus provides a simple and efficient model system to study nephrogenesis and explore the mechanisms causing renal developmental defects in human. Hnf1b (hepatocyte nuclear factor 1 homeobox b), a gene whose mutations are the most commonly identified genetic cause of developmental kidney disease, is required for the acquisition of a proximo-intermediate nephron segment in Xenopus as well as in mouse. Genetic networks involved in Hnf1b expression during kidney development remain poorly understood. We decided to explore the transcriptional regulation of Hnf1b in the developing Xenopus pronephros and mammalian renal cells. Using phylogenetic footprinting, we identified an evolutionary conserved sequence (CNS1) located several kilobases (kb) upstream the Hnf1b transcription start and harboring epigenomic marks characteristics of a distal enhancer in embryonic and adult renal cells in mammals. By means of functional expression assays in Xenopus and mammalian renal cell lines we showed that CNS1 displays enhancer activity in renal tissue. Using CRISPR/cas9 editing in Xenopus tropicalis, we demonstrated the in vivo functional relevance of CNS1 in driving hnf1b expression in the pronephros. We further showed the importance of Pax8-CNS1 interaction for CNS1 enhancer activity allowing us to conclude that Hnf1b is a direct target of Pax8. Our work identified for the first time a Hnf1b renal specific enhancer and may open important perspectives into the diagnosis for congenital kidney anomalies in human, as well as modeling HNF1B-related diseases.
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28
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Dorison A, Forbes TA, Little MH. What can we learn from kidney organoids? Kidney Int 2022; 102:1013-1029. [PMID: 35970244 DOI: 10.1016/j.kint.2022.06.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2022] [Revised: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The ability to generate 3-dimensional models of the developing human kidney via the directed differentiation of pluripotent stem cells-termed kidney organoids-has been hailed as a major advance in experimental nephrology. Although these provide an opportunity to interrogate human development, model-specific kidney diseases facilitate drug screening and even deliver bioengineered tissue; most of these prophetic end points remain to be realized. Indeed, at present we are still finding out what we can learn and what we cannot learn from this approach. In this review, we will summarize the approaches available to generate models of the human kidney from stem cells, the existing successful applications of kidney organoids, their limitations, and remaining challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aude Dorison
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Melbourne, Australia; Novo Nordisk Foundation Centre for Stem Cell Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Thomas A Forbes
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Nephrology, Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Melissa H Little
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Melbourne, Australia; Novo Nordisk Foundation Centre for Stem Cell Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
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29
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Wang G, Heijs B, Kostidis S, Rietjens RG, Koning M, Yuan L, Tiemeier GL, Mahfouz A, Dumas SJ, Giera M, Kers J, Chuva de Sousa Lopes SM, van den Berg CW, van den Berg BM, Rabelink TJ. Spatial dynamic metabolomics identifies metabolic cell fate trajectories in human kidney differentiation. Cell Stem Cell 2022; 29:1580-1593.e7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2022.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2022] [Revised: 10/07/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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30
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Schnell J, Achieng M, Lindström NO. Principles of human and mouse nephron development. Nat Rev Nephrol 2022; 18:628-642. [PMID: 35869368 DOI: 10.1038/s41581-022-00598-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The mechanisms underlying kidney development in mice and humans is an area of intense study. Insights into kidney organogenesis have the potential to guide our understanding of the origin of congenital anomalies and enable the assembly of genetic diagnostic tools. A number of studies have delineated signalling nodes that regulate positional identities and cell fates of nephron progenitor and precursor cells, whereas cross-species comparisons have markedly enhanced our understanding of conserved and divergent features of mammalian kidney organogenesis. Greater insights into the complex cellular movements that occur as the proximal-distal axis is established have challenged our understanding of nephron patterning and provided important clues to the elaborate developmental context in which human kidney diseases can arise. Studies of kidney development in vivo have also facilitated efforts to recapitulate nephrogenesis in kidney organoids in vitro, by providing a detailed blueprint of signalling events, cell movements and patterning mechanisms that are required for the formation of correctly patterned nephrons and maturation of physiologically functional apparatus that are responsible for maintaining human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack Schnell
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Eli and Edythe Broad CIRM Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - MaryAnne Achieng
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Eli and Edythe Broad CIRM Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Nils Olof Lindström
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Eli and Edythe Broad CIRM Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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31
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Tran T, Song CJ, Nguyen T, Cheng SY, McMahon JA, Yang R, Guo Q, Der B, Lindström NO, Lin DCH, McMahon AP. A scalable organoid model of human autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease for disease mechanism and drug discovery. Cell Stem Cell 2022; 29:1083-1101.e7. [PMID: 35803227 PMCID: PMC11088748 DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2022.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2020] [Revised: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Human pluripotent stem-cell-derived organoids are models for human development and disease. We report a modified human kidney organoid system that generates thousands of similar organoids, each consisting of 1-2 nephron-like structures. Single-cell transcriptomic profiling and immunofluorescence validation highlighted patterned nephron-like structures utilizing similar pathways, with distinct morphogenesis, to human nephrogenesis. To examine this platform for therapeutic screening, the polycystic kidney disease genes PKD1 and PKD2 were inactivated by gene editing. PKD1 and PKD2 mutant models exhibited efficient and reproducible cyst formation. Cystic outgrowths could be propagated for months to centimeter-sized cysts. To shed new light on cystogenesis, 247 protein kinase inhibitors (PKIs) were screened in a live imaging assay identifying compounds blocking cyst formation but not overall organoid growth. Scaling and further development of the organoid platform will enable a broader capability for kidney disease modeling and high-throughput drug screens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tracy Tran
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Broad-CIRM Center, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Cheng Jack Song
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Broad-CIRM Center, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA; Amgen Research, Cardiometabolic Disorders, 1120 Veterans Blvd, South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Trang Nguyen
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Broad-CIRM Center, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Shun-Yang Cheng
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Broad-CIRM Center, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Jill A McMahon
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Broad-CIRM Center, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Rui Yang
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Broad-CIRM Center, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Qiuyu Guo
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Broad-CIRM Center, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Balint Der
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Broad-CIRM Center, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Nils O Lindström
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Broad-CIRM Center, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Daniel C-H Lin
- Amgen Research, Cardiometabolic Disorders, 1120 Veterans Blvd, South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Andrew P McMahon
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Broad-CIRM Center, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
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Spatially resolved transcriptomics and the kidney: Many opportunities. Kidney Int 2022; 102:482-491. [PMID: 35788360 DOI: 10.1016/j.kint.2022.06.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2022] [Revised: 06/10/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Defining changes in gene expression during health and disease is critical for the understanding of human physiology. In recent years, single cell/nuclei RNA sequencing (sc/snRNAseq) has revolutionized the definition and discovery of cell types and states, as well as the interpretation of organ and cell type specific signaling pathways. However, these advances require tissue dissociation to the level of the single cell or single nuclei level. Spatially resolved transcriptomics (SrT) now provides a platform to overcome this barrier in understanding the physiological contexts of gene expression and cellular microenvironment changes in development and disease. Some of these transcriptomic tools allow for high resolution mapping of hundreds of genes simultaneously in cellular and subcellular compartments. Other tools offer genome depth mapping, but at lower resolution. Here, we will review advances in SrT, considerations for using SrT in your own research, and applications for kidney biology.
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Röck R, Rizzo L, Lienkamp SS. Kidney Development: Recent Insights from Technological Advances. Physiology (Bethesda) 2022; 37:0. [PMID: 35253460 DOI: 10.1152/physiol.00041.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The kidney is a complex organ, and how it forms is a fascinating process. New technologies, such as single-cell transcriptomics, and enhanced imaging modalities are offering new approaches to understand the complex and intertwined processes during embryonic kidney development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth Röck
- Institute of Anatomy, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Swiss National Centres of Competence in Research (NCCR) Kidney Control of Homeostasis (Kidney.CH), Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ludovica Rizzo
- Institute of Anatomy, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Swiss National Centres of Competence in Research (NCCR) Kidney Control of Homeostasis (Kidney.CH), Zurich, Switzerland.,PhD program "Molecular and Translational Biomedicine," Life Science Zurich Graduate School, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Soeren S Lienkamp
- Institute of Anatomy, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Swiss National Centres of Competence in Research (NCCR) Kidney Control of Homeostasis (Kidney.CH), Zurich, Switzerland
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34
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Gaedcke S, Sinning J, Dittrich-Breiholz O, Haller H, Soerensen-Zender I, Liao CM, Nordlohne A, Sen P, von Vietinghoff S, DeLuca DS, Schmitt R. Single-Cell versus Single-Nucleus: Transcriptome differences in murine kidney after ischemia-reperfusion injury. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 2022; 323:F171-F181. [PMID: 35635323 DOI: 10.1152/ajprenal.00453.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The kidney is a complex organ, which consists of multiple components with highly diverse cell types. A detailed understanding of these cell types in health and disease is crucial for future development of preventive and curative treatment strategies. In recent years, single cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) and single nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNAseq) technology has opened up completely new possibilities in investigating the variety of renal cell populations in physiological and pathological states. Here, we systematically assess differences between scRNAseq and snRNAseq approaches in transcriptome analysis of murine kidneys after ischemia reperfusion injury. We included tissues from control kidneys and from kidneys harvested one week after mild (17 minutes clamping time) and severe (27 minutes clamping time) transient unilateral ischemia. Our findings reveal important methodological differences in the discovery of inflammatory cells, tubular cells, and other specialized cell types. While the scRNAseq approach is advantageous for investigating immune cells, the snRNAseq approach allows superior insight into healthy and damaged tubular cells. Apart from differences in the quantitative discovery rate, we found important qualitative discrepancies in the captured transcriptomes with crucial consequences for the interpretation of cell states and molecular functions. Together, we provide an overview of method-dependent differences between scRNAseq and snRNAseq results from identical post-ischemic kidney tissues. Our results highlight the importance of choosing the right approach for specific research questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Svenja Gaedcke
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, German Center for Lung Research, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Julius Sinning
- Department of Nephrology and Hypertension, Medical School Hannover, Germany
| | | | - Hermann Haller
- Department of Nephrology and Hypertension, Medical School Hannover, Germany
| | | | - Chieh Ming Liao
- Department of Nephrology and Hypertension, Medical School Hannover, Germany
| | | | - Payel Sen
- Department of Nephrology and Hypertension, Medical School Hannover, Germany
| | - Sibylle von Vietinghoff
- Department of Nephrology and Hypertension, Medical School Hannover, Germany.,Nephrology Section, Medical Clinic 1, University Hospital Bonn, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms University, Bonn, Germany
| | - David S DeLuca
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, German Center for Lung Research, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Roland Schmitt
- Department of Nephrology and Hypertension, Medical School Hannover, Germany
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Duvall K, Crist L, Perl AJ, Pode Shakked N, Chaturvedi P, Kopan R. Revisiting the role of Notch in nephron segmentation confirms a role for proximal fate selection during mouse and human nephrogenesis. Development 2022; 149:275412. [PMID: 35451473 PMCID: PMC9188758 DOI: 10.1242/dev.200446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2022] [Accepted: 04/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Notch signaling promotes maturation of nephron epithelia, but its proposed contribution to nephron segmentation into proximal and distal domains has been called into doubt. We leveraged single cell and bulk RNA-seq, quantitative immunofluorescent lineage/fate tracing, and genetically modified human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to revisit this question in developing mouse kidneys and human kidney organoids. We confirmed that Notch signaling is needed for maturation of all nephron lineages, and thus mature lineage markers fail to detect a fate bias. By contrast, early markers identified a distal fate bias in cells lacking Notch2, and a concomitant increase in early proximal and podocyte fates in cells expressing hyperactive Notch1 was observed. Orthogonal support for a conserved role for Notch signaling in the distal/proximal axis segmentation is provided by the demonstration that nicastrin (NCSTN)-deficient human iPSC-derived organoids differentiate into TFA2B+ distal tubule and CDH1+ connecting segment progenitors, but not into HNF4A+ or LTL+ proximal progenitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn Duvall
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA.,Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
| | - Lauren Crist
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
| | - Alison J Perl
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA.,Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
| | - Naomi Pode Shakked
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA.,Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA.,Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA.,Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Praneet Chaturvedi
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA.,Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
| | - Raphael Kopan
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA.,Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
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Abstract
The field of single-cell genomics and spatial technologies is rapidly evolving and has already provided unprecedented insights into complex tissues. Major advances have been made in dissecting the cellular composition and spatiotemporal interactions that mediate developmental processes in the fetal kidney. Single-cell technologies have also provided detailed insights into the heterogeneity of cell types within the healthy adult and shed light on the complex cellular mechanisms that contribute to kidney disease. The in-depth characterization of specific cell types associated with acute kidney injury and glomerular diseases has potential for the development of prognostic biomarkers and new therapeutics. Analyses of pathway activity in clear-cell renal cell carcinoma can predict the sensitivity of tumour cells to specific inhibitors. The identification of the cell of origin of renal cell carcinoma and of new cell types within the tumour microenvironment also has implications for the development of targeted therapeutics. Similarly, single-cell sequencing has provided new insights into the mechanisms underlying kidney fibrosis, specifically our understanding of myofibroblast origins and the contribution of cell crosstalk within the fibrotic niche to disease progression. These and future studies will enable the creation of a map to aid our understanding of the cellular processes and interactions in the developing, healthy and diseased kidney.
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37
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Harris M, Schuh MP, McKinney D, Kaufman K, Erkan E. Whole Exome Sequencing in a Population With Severe Congenital Anomalies of Kidney and Urinary Tract. Front Pediatr 2022; 10:898773. [PMID: 35990004 PMCID: PMC9386178 DOI: 10.3389/fped.2022.898773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Fetal and neonatal interventions (e.g., amnioinfusions, amniotic shunting, and infant dialysis) have increased survival of infants with severe Congenital Anomalies of the Kidney and Urinary Tract (CAKUT), however, outcomes vary dramatically. Our aim was to perform Whole Exome Sequencing (WES) in a unique severe CAKUT population with the goal to identify new variants that will enhance prediction of postnatal outcomes. We performed trio WES on five infants with severe CAKUT (undergoing fetal interventions and/or those who initiated renal replacement therapy (RRT) within 1 month of life) and their parents as well as three singletons. We identified three potential candidate gene variants (NSUN7, MTMR3, CEP162) and validated two variants in known CAKUT genes (GATA3 and FRAS1) showing strong enrichment in this severe phenotype population. Based on our small pilot study of a unique severe CAKUT population, WES appears to be a potential tool to help predict the course of infants with severe CAKUT prenatally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meredith Harris
- Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States.,Division of Nephrology, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Meredith P Schuh
- Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States.,University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - David McKinney
- University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Kenneth Kaufman
- Center for Autoimmune Genomics and Etiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Elif Erkan
- Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States.,University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, United States
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38
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Little MH, Humphreys BD. Regrow or Repair: An Update on Potential Regenerative Therapies for the Kidney. J Am Soc Nephrol 2022; 33:15-32. [PMID: 34789545 PMCID: PMC8763179 DOI: 10.1681/asn.2021081073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Fifteen years ago, this journal published a review outlining future options for regenerating the kidney. At that time, stem cell populations were being identified in multiple tissues, the concept of stem cell recruitment to a site of injury was of great interest, and the possibility of postnatal renal stem cells was growing in momentum. Since that time, we have seen the advent of human induced pluripotent stem cells, substantial advances in our capacity to both sequence and edit the genome, global and spatial transcriptional analysis down to the single-cell level, and a pandemic that has challenged our delivery of health care to all. This article will look back over this period of time to see how our view of kidney development, disease, repair, and regeneration has changed and envision a future for kidney regeneration and repair over the next 15 years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa H. Little
- Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Parkville, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia,Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia,Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Benjamin D. Humphreys
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, Missouri,Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, Missouri
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Dissecting nephron morphogenesis using kidney organoids from human pluripotent stem cells. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2021; 72:22-29. [PMID: 34781071 DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2021.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Revised: 10/05/2021] [Accepted: 10/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
During kidney development the emergence of complex multicellular shapes such as the nephron (the functional unit of the kidney) rely on spatiotemporally coordinated developmental programs. These involve gene regulatory networks, signaling pathways and mechanical forces, that work in concert to shape and form the nephron(s). The generation of kidney organoids from human pluripotent stem cells now represent an unprecedented experimental set up to study these processes. Here we discuss the potential applications of kidney organoids to advance our knowledge of how mechanical forces and cell fate specification spatiotemporally interact to orchestrate nephron patterning and morphogenesis in humans. Progress in innovative techniques for quantifying and perturbing these processes in a controlled manner will be crucial. A mechanistic understanding of the multicellular dynamic processes occurring during nephrogenesis will pave the way to unveil new mechanisms of human kidney disease.
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