Ex vivo modeling of chemical synergy in prenatal kidney cystogenesis

Human pluripotent stem cell-derived kidney organoids reveal tubular epithelial pathobiology of heterozygous HNF1B-associated dysplastic kidney malformations

Hepatocyte nuclear factor 1B (HNF1B) encodes a transcription factor expressed in developing human kidney epithelia. Heterozygous HNF1B mutations are the commonest monogenic cause of dysplastic kidney malformations (DKMs). To understand their pathobiology, we generated heterozygous HNF1B mutant kidney organoids from CRISPR-Cas9 gene-edited human embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) reprogrammed from a family with HNF1B-associated DKMs. Mutant organoids contained enlarged malformed tubules displaying deregulated cell turnover. Numerous genes implicated in Mendelian kidney tubulopathies were downregulated, and mutant tubules resisted the cyclic AMP (cAMP)-mediated dilatation seen in controls. Bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) analyses indicated abnormal Wingless/Integrated (WNT), calcium, and glutamatergic pathways, the latter hitherto unstudied in developing kidneys. Glutamate ionotropic receptor kainate type subunit 3 (GRIK3) was upregulated in malformed mutant nephron tubules and prominent in HNF1B mutant fetal human dysplastic kidney epithelia. These results reveal morphological, molecular, and physiological roles for HNF1B in human kidney tubule differentiation and morphogenesis illuminating the developmental origin of mutant-HNF1B-causing kidney disease.

Haploinsufficiency of the mouse Tshz3 gene leads to kidney defects

Renal tract defects and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) deficits represent the phenotypic core of the 19q12 deletion syndrome caused by the loss of one copy of the TSHZ3 gene. While a proportion of Tshz3 heterozygous (Tshz3+/lacZ) mice display ureteral defects, no kidney defects have been reported in these mice. The purpose of this study was to characterize the expression of Tshz3 in adult kidney as well as the renal consequences of embryonic haploinsufficiency of Tshz3 by analyzing the morphology and function of Tshz3 heterozygous adult kidney. Here, we described Tshz3 expression in the smooth muscle and stromal cells lining the renal pelvis, the papilla and glomerular endothelial cells (GEnCs) of the adult kidney as well as in the proximal nephron tubules in neonatal mice. Histological analysis showed that Tshz3+/lacZ adult kidney had an average of 29% fewer glomeruli than wild type kidney. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of Tshz3+/lacZ glomeruli revealed a reduced thickness of the glomerular basement membrane and a larger foot process width. Compared to wild type, Tshz3+/lacZ mice showed lower blood urea, phosphates, magnesium and potassium at 2 months of age. At the molecular level, transcriptome analysis identified differentially expressed genes related to inflammatory processes in Tshz3+/lacZ compare to wild type (WT; control) adult kidneys. Lastly, analysis of the urinary peptidome revealed 33 peptides associated with Tshz3+/lacZ adult mice. These results provide the first evidence that in the mouse Tshz3 haploinsufficiency leads to cellular, molecular and functional abnormalities in the adult mouse kidney.

The positive effect of selective prostaglandin E2 receptor EP2 and EP4 blockade on cystogenesis in vitro is counteracted by increased kidney inflammation in vivo

Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD) is a major cause of end-stage kidney disease in man. The central role of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) in ADPKD pathogenesis has been confirmed by numerous studies including positive clinical trial data. Here, we investigated the potential role of another major regulator of renal cAMP, prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂), in modifying disease progression in ADPKD models using selective receptor modulators to all four PGE₂ receptor subtypes (EP1-4). In 3D-culture model systems utilizing dog (MDCK) and patient-derived (UCL93, OX161-C1) kidney cell lines, PGE₂ strikingly promoted cystogenesis and inhibited tubulogenesis by stimulating proliferation while reducing apoptosis. The effect of PGE₂ on tubulogenesis and cystogenesis in 3D-culture was mimicked or abolished by selective EP2 and EP4 agonists or antagonists but not those specific to EP1 or EP3. In a Pkd1 mouse model (Pkd1^nl/nl), kidney PGE₂ and COX-2 expression were increased by two-fold at the peak of disease (week four). However, Pkd1^nl/nl mice treated with selective EP2 (PF-04418948) or EP4 (ONO-AE3-208) antagonists from birth for three weeks had more severe cystic disease and fibrosis associated with increased cell proliferation and macrophage infiltration. A similar effect was observed for the EP4 antagonist ONO-AE3-208 in a second Pkd1 model (Pax8rtTA-TetO-Cre-Pkd1^f/f). Thus, despite the positive effects of slowing cyst growth in vitro, the more complex effects of inhibiting EP2 or EP4 in vivo resulted in a worse outcome, possibly related to unexpected pro-inflammatory effects.

Arginine reprogramming in ADPKD results in arginine-dependent cystogenesis

Research into metabolic reprogramming in cancer has become commonplace, yet this area of research has only recently come of age in nephrology. In light of the parallels between cancer and autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), the latter is currently being studied as a metabolic disease. In clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC), which is now considered a metabolic disease, we and others have shown derangements in the enzyme arginosuccinate synthase 1 (ASS1), resulting in RCC cells becoming auxotrophic for arginine and leading to a new therapeutic paradigm involving reducing extracellular arginine. Based on our earlier finding that glutamine pathways are reprogrammed in ARPKD, and given the connection between arginine and glutamine synthetic pathways via citrulline, we investigated the possibility of arginine reprogramming in ADPKD. We now show that, in a remarkable parallel to RCC, ASS1 expression is reduced in murine and human ADPKD, and arginine depletion results in a dose-dependent compensatory increase in ASS1 levels as well as decreased cystogenesis in vitro and ex vivo with minimal toxicity to normal cells. Nontargeted metabolomics analysis of mouse kidney cell lines grown in arginine-deficient versus arginine-replete media suggests arginine-dependent alterations in the glutamine and proline pathways. Thus, depletion of this conditionally essential amino acid by dietary or pharmacological means, such as with arginine-degrading enzymes, may be a novel treatment for this disease.

Anticystogenic activity of a small molecule PAK4 inhibitor may be a novel treatment for autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease

Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD) is a common hereditary renal disease with no currently available targeted therapies. Based on the established connection between β-catenin signaling and renal ciliopathies, and on data from our and other laboratories showing striking similarities of this disease and cancer, we evaluated the use of an orally bioavailable small molecule, KPT-9274 (a dual inhibitor of the protein kinase PAK4 and nicotinamide phosphoribosyl transferase), for treatment of ADPKD. Treatment of PKD-derived cells with this compound not only reduces PAK4 steady-state protein levels and regulates β-catenin signaling, but also inhibits nicotinamide phosphoribosyl transferase, the rate-limiting enzyme in a key NAD salvage pathway. KPT-9274 can attenuate cellular proliferation and induce apoptosis associated with a decrease in active (phosphorylated) PAK4 and β-catenin in several Pkd1-null murine cell lines, with a less pronounced effect on the corresponding phenotypically normal cells. Additionally, KPT-9274 shows inhibition of cystogenesis in an ex vivo model of cyclic AMP-induced cystogenesis as well as in the early stage Pkd1^flox/flox:Pkhd1-Cre mouse model, the latter showing confirmation of specific anti-proliferative, apoptotic, and on-target effects. NAD biosynthetic attenuation by KPT-9274, while critical for highly proliferative cancer cells, does not appear to be important in the slower growing cystic epithelial cells during cystogenesis. KPT-9274 was not toxic in our ADPKD animal model or in other cancer models. Thus, this small molecule inhibitor could be evaluated in a clinical trial as a viable therapy of ADPKD.

Planar cell polarity genes Celsr1 and Vangl2 are necessary for kidney growth, differentiation, and rostrocaudal patterning

The mammalian kidney contains nephrons comprising glomeruli and tubules joined to ureteric bud-derived collecting ducts. It has a characteristic bean-like shape, with near-complete rostrocaudal symmetry around the hilum. Here we show that Celsr1, a planar cell polarity (PCP) gene implicated in neural tube morphogenesis, is required for ureteric tree growth in early development and later in gestation prevents tubule overgrowth. We also found an interaction between Celsr1 and Vangl2 (another PCP gene) in ureteric tree growth, most marked in the caudal compartment of the kidneys from compound heterozygous mutant mice with a stunted rump. Furthermore, these genes together are required for the maturation of glomeruli. Interestingly, we demonstrated patients with CELSR1 mutations and spina bifida can have significant renal malformations. Thus, PCP genes are important in mammalian kidney development and have an unexpected role in rostrocaudal patterning during organogenesis.

Bridging the gap: functional healing of embryonic small intestine ex vivo

The ability to grow embryonic organs ex vivo provides an opportunity to follow their differentiation in a controlled environment, with resulting insights into normal development. Additionally, similar strategies can be used to assess effects on organogenesis of physical and chemical manipulations. This study aimed to create an organ culture model with which to test physical manipulations to enhance healing of gut segments, thus generating a single functional organ. Embryonic mouse jejunum was isolated and cut into 2–3 mm tubes, which were placed in pairs, separated by a small gap, on semi‐permeable supports. Each pair was linked by a nylon suture threaded through their lumens. After 3 days in organ culture fed by defined serum‐free media, the rudiments differentiated to form tubes of smooth muscle surrounding a core of rudimentary villi. Of 34 such pairs, 74% had touching and well aligned proximate ends. Of these joined structures, 80% (59% of the total pairs) had a continuous lumen, as assessed by observing the trajectories of fluorescent dextrans injected into their distal ends. Fused organ pairs formed a single functional unit, as assessed by spontaneous contraction waves propagated along their lengths. In these healed intestines, peripherin⁺ neurons formed a nexus in the zone of fusion, linking the rudiment pairs. In future, this system could be used to test whether growth factors enhance fusion. Such results should in turn inform the design of novel treatments for short bowel syndrome, a potentially fatal condition with a currently limited and imperfect range of therapies. ©2015. The Authors Journal of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Aquaporin-1 retards renal cyst development in polycystic kidney disease by inhibition of Wnt signaling

Water channel aquaporin-1 (AQP1) is expressed at epithelial cell plasma membranes in renal proximal tubules and thin descending limb of Henle. Recently, AQP1 was reported to interact with β-catenin. Here we investigated the relationship between AQP1 and Wnt signaling in in vitro and in vivo models of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (PKD). AQP1 overexpression decreased β-catenin and cyclinD1 expression, suggesting down-regulation of Wnt signaling, and coimmunoprecipitation showed AQP1 interaction with β-catenin, glycogen synthase kinase 3β, LRP6, and Axin1. AQP1 inhibited cyst development and promoted branching in matrix-grown MDCK cells. In embryonic kidney cultures, AQP1 deletion increased cyst development by up to ∼ 40%. Kidney size and cyst number were significantly greater in AQP1-null PKD mice than in AQP1-expressing PKD mice, with the difference mainly attributed to a greater number of proximal tubule cysts. Biochemical analysis revealed decreased β-catenin phosphorylation and increased β-catenin expression in AQP1-null PKD mice, suggesting enhanced Wnt signaling. These results implicate AQP1 as a novel determinant in renal cyst development that may involve inhibition of Wnt signaling by an AQP1-macromolecular signaling complex.