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Ponticelli C, Reggiani F, Moroni G. Autophagy: A Silent Protagonist in Kidney Transplantation. Transplantation 2024; 108:1532-1541. [PMID: 37953477 DOI: 10.1097/tp.0000000000004862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2023]
Abstract
Autophagy is a lysosome-dependent regulated mechanism that recycles unnecessary cytoplasmic components. It is now known that autophagy dysfunction may have a pathogenic role in several human diseases and conditions, including kidney transplantation. Both defective and excessive autophagy may induce or aggravate several complications of kidney transplantation, such as ischemia-reperfusion injury, alloimmune response, and immunosuppressive treatment and side effects. Although it is still complicated to measure autophagy levels in clinical practice, more attention should be paid to the factors that may influence autophagy. In kidney transplantation, the association of low doses of a mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor with low doses of a calcineurin inhibitor may be of benefit for autophagy modulation. However, further studies are needed to explore the role of other autophagy regulators.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Francesco Reggiani
- Nephrology and Dialysis Unit, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Italy
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Milan, Italy
| | - Gabriella Moroni
- Nephrology and Dialysis Unit, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Italy
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Ke HL, Li RJ, Yu CC, Wang XP, Wu CY, Zhang YW. Network pharmacology and experimental verification to decode the action of Qing Fei Hua Xian Decotion against pulmonary fibrosis. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0305903. [PMID: 38913698 PMCID: PMC11195996 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0305903] [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: 12/29/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/26/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a common interstitial pneumonia disease, also occurred in post-COVID-19 survivors. The mechanism underlying the anti-PF effect of Qing Fei Hua Xian Decotion (QFHXD), a traditional Chinese medicine formula applied for treating PF in COVID-19 survivors, is unclear. This study aimed to uncover the mechanisms related to the anti-PF effect of QFHXD through analysis of network pharmacology and experimental verification. METHODS The candidate chemical compounds of QFHXD and its putative targets for treating PF were achieved from public databases, thereby we established the corresponding "herb-compound-target" network of QFHXD. The protein-protein interaction network of potential targets was also constructed to screen the core targets. Furthermore, Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis were used to predict targets, and pathways, then validated by in vivo experiments. RESULTS A total of 188 active compounds in QFHXD and 50 target genes were identified from databases. The key therapeutic targets of QFHXD, such as PI3K/Akt, IL-6, TNF, IL-1β, STAT3, MMP-9, and TGF-β1 were identified by KEGG and GO analysis. Anti-PF effects of QFHXD (in a dose-dependent manner) and prednisone were confirmed by HE, Masson staining, and Sirius red staining as well as in vivo Micro-CT and immunohistochemical analysis in a rat model of bleomycin-induced PF. Besides, QFXHD remarkably inhibits the activity of PI3K/Akt/NF-κB and TGF-β1/Smad2/3. CONCLUSIONS QFXHD significantly attenuated bleomycin-induced PF via inhibiting inflammation and epithelial-mesenchymal transition. PI3K/Akt/NF-κB and TGF-β1/Smad2/3 pathways might be the potential therapeutic effects of QFHXD for treating PF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao-Liang Ke
- Department of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Rui-Jie Li
- School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Chao-Chao Yu
- Department of Rehabilitation, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Xiu-Ping Wang
- Department of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Chao-Yan Wu
- Department of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Ying-Wen Zhang
- Department of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
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Zeng JY, Wang Y, Hong FY, Miao M, Jiang YY, Qiao ZX, Wang YT, Bao XR. Tanshinone IIA is superior to paricalcitol in ameliorating tubulointerstitial fibrosis through regulation of VDR/Wnt/β-catenin pathway in rats with diabetic nephropathy. NAUNYN-SCHMIEDEBERG'S ARCHIVES OF PHARMACOLOGY 2024; 397:3959-3977. [PMID: 37991543 PMCID: PMC11111530 DOI: 10.1007/s00210-023-02853-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/11/2023] [Indexed: 11/23/2023]
Abstract
Glomerulosclerosis and tubulointerstitial fibrosis (TIF) are closely involved in the development of diabetic nephropathy (DN). Moreover, the development of TIF is closely related to epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Tanshinone IIA (Tan) has various pharmacological effects, especially the anti-fibrotic effect. And it is mainly used in the clinical treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Currently, the protective effect of Tan on DN and its possible mechanism have not been clearly elucidated. Our previous studies illustrated that Tan could improve the EMT of HK-2 cells induced by high glucose by regulating the vitamin D receptor (VDR)/Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Here, we collected demographic information and laboratory results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database in order to investigate the relationship between VD and DN. Then, we established a DN model and treated DN rats with Tan and paricalcitol (Par) for 6 weeks. We subsequently compared the changes in general condition, renal function, pathological changes, and TIF-related protein expression levels of control rats, DN rats induced by STZ, DN rats with Tan at 5.4 mg/kg, DN rats with Tan at 10.8 mg/kg, and DN rats with Par at 0.054 µg/kg, to explore the effect and mechanism of Tan and Par on DN rats. The results showed that VD had a protective effect against DN in diabetic patients. And we found that Tan had a protective effect on renal fibrosis in DN rats, which was superior to Par in improving the symptoms of "three more and one less," reducing fasting blood glucose level, improving renal index, BUN/SCr, and UACR, reducing histopathological damage of kidney, and improving the expression of fibrosis-related proteins in kidney tissue by regulating VDR/Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Tan was superior to Par in ameliorating tubulointerstitial fibrosis by regulating VDR/Wnt/β-catenin pathway in rats with diabetic nephropathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing-Yi Zeng
- Department of Nephrology, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Shengli Clinical Medical College of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
- Department of Nephrology, Jinshan Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yu Wang
- Department of Nephrology, Jinshan Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Fu-Yuan Hong
- Department of Nephrology, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Shengli Clinical Medical College of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Miao Miao
- Department of Nephrology, Jinshan Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yu-Ying Jiang
- Department of Nephrology, Jinshan Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zi-Xuan Qiao
- Department of Nephrology, Jinshan Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yun-Tao Wang
- Department of Nephrology, Jinshan Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiao-Rong Bao
- Department of Nephrology, Jinshan Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
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Feng D, Gui Z, Xu Z, Zhang J, Ni B, Wang Z, Liu J, Fei S, Chen H, Sun L, Gu M, Tan R. Rictor/mTORC2 signalling contributes to renal vascular endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition and renal allograft interstitial fibrosis by regulating BNIP3-mediated mitophagy. Clin Transl Med 2024; 14:e1686. [PMID: 38769658 PMCID: PMC11106512 DOI: 10.1002/ctm2.1686] [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: 11/25/2023] [Revised: 04/18/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Renal allograft interstitial fibrosis/tubular atrophy (IF/TA) constitutes the principal histopathological characteristic of chronic allograft dysfunction (CAD) in kidney-transplanted patients. While renal vascular endothelial-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) has been verified as an important contributing factor to IF/TA in CAD patients, its underlying mechanisms remain obscure. Through single-cell transcriptomic analysis, we identified Rictor as a potential pivotal mediator for EndMT. This investigation sought to elucidate the role of Rictor/mTORC2 signalling in the pathogenesis of renal allograft interstitial fibrosis and the associated mechanisms. METHODS The influence of the Rictor/mTOR2 pathway on renal vascular EndMT and renal allograft fibrosis was investigated by cell experiments and Rictor depletion in renal allogeneic transplantation mice models. Subsequently, a series of assays were conducted to explore the underlying mechanisms of the enhanced mitophagy and the ameliorated EndMT resulting from Rictor knockout. RESULTS Our findings revealed a significant activation of the Rictor/mTORC2 signalling in CAD patients and allogeneic kidney transplanted mice. The suppression of Rictor/mTORC2 signalling alleviated TNFα-induced EndMT in HUVECs. Moreover, Rictor knockout in endothelial cells remarkably ameliorated renal vascular EndMT and allograft interstitial fibrosis in allogeneic kidney transplanted mice. Mechanistically, Rictor knockout resulted in an augmented BNIP3-mediated mitophagy in endothelial cells. Furthermore, Rictor/mTORC2 facilitated the MARCH5-mediated degradation of BNIP3 at the K130 site through K48-linked ubiquitination, thereby regulating mitophagy activity. Subsequent experiments also demonstrated that BNIP3 knockdown nearly reversed the enhanced mitophagy and mitigated EndMT and allograft interstitial fibrosis induced by Rictor knockout. CONCLUSIONS Consequently, our study underscores Rictor/mTORC2 signalling as a critical mediator of renal vascular EndMT and allograft interstitial fibrosis progression, exerting its impact through regulating BNIP3-mediated mitophagy. This insight unveils a potential therapeutic target for mitigating renal allograft interstitial fibrosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dengyuan Feng
- Department of Urologythe First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Zeping Gui
- Department of Urologythe First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical UniversityNanjingChina
- Department of Urologythe Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Zhen Xu
- Department of Urologythe First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical UniversityNanjingChina
- Department of UrologyThe Affiliated Taizhou People's Hospital of Nanjing Medical UniversityTaizhouChina
| | - Jianjian Zhang
- Department of Urologythe First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Bin Ni
- Department of Urologythe Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Zijie Wang
- Department of Urologythe First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Jiawen Liu
- Department of Urologythe First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Shuang Fei
- Department of Urologythe First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Hao Chen
- Department of Urologythe First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Li Sun
- Department of Urologythe First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Min Gu
- Department of Urologythe First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical UniversityNanjingChina
- Department of Urologythe Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Ruoyun Tan
- Department of Urologythe First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical UniversityNanjingChina
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Hadpech S, Thongboonkerd V. Epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity in kidney fibrosis. Genesis 2024; 62:e23529. [PMID: 37345818 DOI: 10.1002/dvg.23529] [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: 03/10/2023] [Revised: 05/27/2023] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023]
Abstract
Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is an important biological process contributing to kidney fibrosis and chronic kidney disease. This process is characterized by decreased epithelial phenotypes/markers and increased mesenchymal phenotypes/markers. Tubular epithelial cells (TECs) are commonly susceptible to EMT by various stimuli, for example, transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), cellular communication network factor 2, angiotensin-II, fibroblast growth factor-2, oncostatin M, matrix metalloproteinase-2, tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA), plasmin, interleukin-1β, and reactive oxygen species. Similarly, glomerular podocytes can undergo EMT via these stimuli and by high glucose condition in diabetic kidney disease. EMT of TECs and podocytes leads to tubulointerstitial fibrosis and glomerulosclerosis, respectively. Signaling pathways involved in EMT-mediated kidney fibrosis are diverse and complex. TGF-β1/Smad and Wnt/β-catenin pathways are the major venues triggering EMT in TECs and podocytes. These two pathways thus serve as the major therapeutic targets against EMT-mediated kidney fibrosis. To date, a number of EMT inhibitors have been identified and characterized. As expected, the majority of these EMT inhibitors affect TGF-β1/Smad and Wnt/β-catenin pathways. In addition to kidney fibrosis, these EMT-targeted antifibrotic inhibitors are expected to be effective for treatment against fibrosis in other organs/tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sudarat Hadpech
- Medical Proteomics Unit, Research Department, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Visith Thongboonkerd
- Medical Proteomics Unit, Research Department, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
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Guo Y, Yuan Z, Hu Z, Gao Y, Guo H, Zhu H, Hong K, Cen K, Mai Y, Bai Y, Yang X. Diagnostic model constructed by five EMT-related genes for renal fibrosis and reflecting the condition of immune-related cells. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1161436. [PMID: 37266443 PMCID: PMC10229861 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1161436] [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: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Renal fibrosis is a physiological and pathological characteristic of chronic kidney disease (CKD) to end-stage renal disease. Since renal biopsy is the gold standard for evaluating renal fibrosis, there is an urgent need for additional non-invasive diagnostic biomarkers. Methods We used R package "limma" to screen out differently expressed genes (DEGs) based on Epithelial-mesenchymal transformation (EMT), and carried out the protein interaction network and GO, KEGG enrichment analysis of DEGs. Secondly, the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), random forest tree (RF), and support vector machine-recursive feature elimination (SVM-RFE) algorithms were used to identify candidate diagnostic genes. ROC curves were plotted to evaluate the clinical diagnostic value of these genes. In addition, mRNA expression levels of candidate diagnostic genes were analyzed in control samples and renal fibrosis samples. CIBERSORT algorithm was used to evaluate immune cells level. Additionally, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and drug sensitivity were conducted. Results After obtaining a total of 24 DEGs, we discovered that they were mostly involved in several immunological and inflammatory pathways, including NF-KappaB signaling, AGE-RAGE signaling, and TNF signaling. Five genes (COL4A2, CXCL1, TIMP1, VCAM1, and VEGFA) were subsequently identified as biomarkers for renal fibrosis through machine learning, and their expression levels were confirmed by validation cohort data sets and in vitro RT-qPCR experiment. The AUC values of these five genes demonstrated significant clinical diagnostic value in both the training and validation sets. After that, CIBERSORT analysis showed that these biomarkers were strongly associated with immune cell content in renal fibrosis patients. GSEA also identifies the potential roles of these diagnostic genes. Additionally, diagnostic candidate genes were found to be closely related to drug sensitivity. Finally, a nomogram for diagnosing renal fibrosis was developed. Conclusion COL4A2, CXCL1, TIMP1, VCAM1, and VEGFA are promising diagnostic biomarkers of tissue and serum for renal fibrosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yangyang Guo
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
| | - Ziwei Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Hepato-Pancreatic Diseases of Zhejiang Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Zujian Hu
- Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Hepato-Pancreatic Diseases of Zhejiang Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Yuanyuan Gao
- Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Hepato-Pancreatic Diseases of Zhejiang Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Hangcheng Guo
- Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Hepato-Pancreatic Diseases of Zhejiang Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Hengyue Zhu
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Kai Hong
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
| | - Kenan Cen
- The Affiliated Hospital of Medical School of Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
| | - Yifeng Mai
- The Affiliated Hospital of Medical School of Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
| | - Yongheng Bai
- Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Hepato-Pancreatic Diseases of Zhejiang Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Xuejia Yang
- Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Hepato-Pancreatic Diseases of Zhejiang Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
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Zhang K, Huang Q, Peng L, Lin S, Liu J, Zhang J, Li C, Zhai S, Xu Z, Wang S. The multifunctional roles of autophagy in the innate immune response: Implications for regulation of transplantation rejection. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:1007559. [PMID: 36619861 PMCID: PMC9810636 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.1007559] [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: 07/30/2022] [Accepted: 11/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Organ transplantation is the main treatment for end-stage organ failure, which has rescued tens of thousands of lives. Immune rejection is the main factor affecting the survival of transplanted organs. How to suppress immune rejection is an important goal of transplantation research. A graft first triggers innate immune responses, leading to graft inflammation, tissue injury and cell death, followed by adaptive immune activation. At present, the importance of innate immunity in graft rejection is poorly understood. Autophagy, an evolutionarily conserved intracellular degradation system, is proven to be involved in regulating innate immune response following graft transplants. Moreover, there is evidence indicating that autophagy can regulate graft dysfunction. Although the specific mechanism by which autophagy affects graft rejection remains unclear, autophagy is involved in innate immune signal transduction, inflammatory response, and various forms of cell death after organ transplantation. This review summarizes how autophagy regulates these processes and proposes potential targets for alleviating immune rejection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kunli Zhang
- Institute of Animal Health, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Livestock Disease Prevention Guangdong Province, Scientific Observation and Experiment Station of Veterinary Drugs and Diagnostic Techniques of Guangdong Province, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qiuyan Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Livestock and Poultry Breeding, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Breeding and Nutrition, Institute of Animal Science, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Laru Peng
- Guangzhou Laboratory, Guangzhou International BioIsland, Guangzhou, China
| | - Sen Lin
- Sericultural & Agri-Food Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jie Liu
- Guangdong Yantang Dairy Co, Ltd, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jianfeng Zhang
- Institute of Animal Health, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Livestock Disease Prevention Guangdong Province, Scientific Observation and Experiment Station of Veterinary Drugs and Diagnostic Techniques of Guangdong Province, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangzhou, China,Maoming Branch, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Maoming, China
| | - Chunling Li
- Institute of Animal Health, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Livestock Disease Prevention Guangdong Province, Scientific Observation and Experiment Station of Veterinary Drugs and Diagnostic Techniques of Guangdong Province, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shaolun Zhai
- Institute of Animal Health, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Livestock Disease Prevention Guangdong Province, Scientific Observation and Experiment Station of Veterinary Drugs and Diagnostic Techniques of Guangdong Province, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhihong Xu
- Institute of Animal Health, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Livestock Disease Prevention Guangdong Province, Scientific Observation and Experiment Station of Veterinary Drugs and Diagnostic Techniques of Guangdong Province, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangzhou, China,*Correspondence: Zhihong Xu, ; Sutian Wang,
| | - Sutian Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Livestock and Poultry Breeding, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Breeding and Nutrition, Institute of Animal Science, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, China,Maoming Branch, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Maoming, China,*Correspondence: Zhihong Xu, ; Sutian Wang,
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Guan H, Zhu N, Tang G, Du Y, Wang L, Yuan W. DNA methyltransferase 1 knockdown reverses PTEN and VDR by mediating demethylation of promoter and protects against renal injuries in hepatitis B virus-associated glomerulonephritis. Cell Biosci 2022; 12:98. [PMID: 35765066 PMCID: PMC9238139 DOI: 10.1186/s13578-022-00835-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 06/17/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Aberrant DNA methylation patterns, including hypermethylation of key genes that inhibit fibrosis and inflammation, have been described in human kidney diseases. However, the role of DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) in hepatitis B virus-associated glomerulonephritis (HBV-GN) remains unclear.
Methods
We explored the underlying mechanism by establishing HBV X protein (HBx) overexpressing renal tubular epithelial (HK-2) cells and human podocytes with DNMT1 knockdown. Using RNA-sequencing to determine the downstream targets of DNMT1 and evaluate its levels of promoter methylation. HBV transgenic mice were used to examine the effects of DNMT1 inhibitor on renal in vivo.
Results
DNMT1 was significantly upregulated in the renal tissue of HBV-GN patients, accompanied by injuries of HK-2 cells and podocytes. HBx markedly upregulated DNMT1 and induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and inflammation in HK-2 cells and human podocytes. This increased DNMT1 expression was attenuated after DNMT1 knockdown, accompanied by restored HK-2 cells and podocyte injuries resulting from the activation of PI3K/Akt/mTOR and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) pathways. Hypermethylation of the phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) promoter and vitamin D receptor (VDR) was induced in HBx-overexpressing HK-2 cells and podocytes, respectively, whereas DNMT1 knockdown effectively corrected these alterations. Furthermore, PTEN and VDR ablation resulted in marked EMT and inflammation induction in HBx-overexpressing HK-2 cells and human podocytes even with DNMT1 knockdown. Downregulation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR-related pathway attenuated HBx-induced EMT and inflammation in HK-2 cells. Luciferase reporter assay revealed VDR as a direct target of the Snail family transcriptional repressor 1 (SNAI1) in HBx-overexpressing podocytes. DNA methylation inhibitor 5-azacytidine alleviated urinary protein and renal inflammation in HBV transgenic mice via PTEN-PI3K/Akt signaling and VDR signaling axis.
Conclusions
Our study clarifies the potential epigenetic mechanisms underlying HBx-induced renal injuries in HBV-GN and the renoprotective effects of inhibiting DNMT1, which can provide important insights into the development of treatments for HBV-GN.
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