EP300/CBP is crucial for cAMP-PKA pathway to alleviate podocyte dedifferentiation via targeting Notch3 signaling

EP300 promotes renal tubular epithelial cell fibrosis by increasing HIF2α expression in diabetic nephropathy

Renal tubular damage occurs early in diabetic nephropathy (DN) and may play a key role in the progression of kidney disease. E1A binding protein P300 (EP300) gene polymorphism correlates with the development and advancement of DN. We will explore the expression and relationship of EP300 and hypoxia-inducible factor 2 α (HIF2α) and the possible mechanism in the progression of DN. We studied the expression of EP300 and HIF2α in the renal tubules of patients with DN. At the cellular level, the interaction between EP300 and HIF2α were identified, and their relationship with cellular fibrosis was validated. Furthermore, we examined the effect of altered EP300 expression on downstream HIF2α and renal tubular fibrosis in vivo and in vitro. EP300 and HIF2α were strongly expressed in the renal tubules of DN patients and in HK-2 cells, and EP300 protein bound to the HIF2α gene in the nucleus. Adenovirus-mediated EP300 inhibition or overexpression downregulated or upregulated HIF2α expression in HK-2 cells, respectively. When EP300 was overexpressed in HK-2 cells, inhibition of HIF2α did not change the EP300 level, but the fibrotic marker was downregulated. In DN mice, silencing EP300 inhibited HIF2α expression levels and renal tubular fibrosis progression. In conclusion, this study defined that EP300 could promote renal tubular epithelial cell fibrotic processes by increasing HIF2α expression in DN.

Heparanase promotes endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition in diabetic glomerular endothelial cells through mediating ERK signaling

Glomerular endothelial cells (GEnCs) dysfunction occurs at the early stage of diabetic nephropathy (DN). One of its characteristics is endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT). Heparanase (HPSE) is the only known mammalian endoglycosidase capable of degrading heparin sulfates and has a prominent role in DN pathogenesis. However, whether HPSE induces EndMT of GEnCs remains unknown. This study aimed to determine the effect and potential mechanism of HPSE on GEnCs phenotype under high-glucose conditions. In the early development of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice, HPSE overexpression was positively correlated with renal injury and the number of GEnCs undergoing EndMT, which was characterized by loss of endothelial marker CD31 and gain of mesenchymal markers including α-SMA and Snail1/2 by double immunofluorescence staining. Bioinformatics analysis revealed a positive correlation between HPSE and ERK. The counts of double positive staining of CD31 and p-ERK1/2 was significantly increased in the glomeruli of STZ-induced diabetic mice compared with sham mice. In cultured GEnCs, high glucose dramatically upregulated the expressions of HPSE and p-ERK1/2, both of which were markedly blocked by HPSE siRNA. Furthermore, recombinant mouse HPSE (rmHPSE) promoted the expressions of mesenchymal markers and p-ERK1/2 in a dosage- and time-dependent manner. U0126, a specific MEK/ERK inhibitor, significantly inhibited either high glucose or rmHPSE-induced EndMT of GEnCs. These data indicate that high glucose induces EndMT of GEnCs at least partially through upregulating HPSE and that HPSE promotes EndMT of GEnCs via activating ERK signaling. This study improves understanding the crucial role of HPSE in DN development and progression.