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Cao S, Pan Y, Terker AS, Arroyo Ornelas JP, Wang Y, Tang J, Niu A, Kar SA, Jiang M, Luo W, Dong X, Fan X, Wang S, Wilson MH, Fogo A, Zhang MZ, Harris RC. Epidermal growth factor receptor activation is essential for kidney fibrosis development. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7357. [PMID: 37963889 PMCID: PMC10645887 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43226-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Fibrosis is the progressive accumulation of excess extracellular matrix and can cause organ failure. Fibrosis can affect nearly every organ including kidney and there is no specific treatment currently. Although Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) signaling pathway has been implicated in development of kidney fibrosis, underlying mechanisms by which EGFR itself mediates kidney fibrosis have not been elucidated. We find that EGFR expression increases in interstitial myofibroblasts in human and mouse fibrotic kidneys. Selective EGFR deletion in the fibroblast/pericyte population inhibits interstitial fibrosis in response to unilateral ureteral obstruction, ischemia or nephrotoxins. In vivo and in vitro studies and single-nucleus RNA sequencing analysis demonstrate that EGFR activation does not induce myofibroblast transformation but is necessary for the initial pericyte/fibroblast migration and proliferation prior to subsequent myofibroblast transformation by TGF-ß or other profibrotic factors. These findings may also provide insight into development of fibrosis in other organs and in other conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shirong Cao
- Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Center for Kidney Disease, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Yu Pan
- Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Center for Kidney Disease, Nashville, TN, USA
- Division of Nephrology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Andrew S Terker
- Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Center for Kidney Disease, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Juan Pablo Arroyo Ornelas
- Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Center for Kidney Disease, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Yinqiu Wang
- Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Center for Kidney Disease, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Jiaqi Tang
- Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Center for Kidney Disease, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Aolei Niu
- Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Center for Kidney Disease, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Sarah Abu Kar
- Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Center for Kidney Disease, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Mengdi Jiang
- Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Center for Kidney Disease, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Wentian Luo
- Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Center for Kidney Disease, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Xinyu Dong
- Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Center for Kidney Disease, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Xiaofeng Fan
- Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Center for Kidney Disease, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Suwan Wang
- Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Center for Kidney Disease, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Matthew H Wilson
- Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Center for Kidney Disease, Nashville, TN, USA
- Veterans Affairs, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Agnes Fogo
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Ming-Zhi Zhang
- Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA.
- Vanderbilt Center for Kidney Disease, Nashville, TN, USA.
| | - Raymond C Harris
- Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA.
- Vanderbilt Center for Kidney Disease, Nashville, TN, USA.
- Veterans Affairs, Nashville, TN, USA.
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Cao S, Pan Y, Tang J, Terker AS, Arroyo Ornelas JP, Jin GN, Wang Y, Niu A, Fan X, Wang S, Harris RC, Zhang MZ. EGFR-mediated activation of adipose tissue macrophages promotes obesity and insulin resistance. Nat Commun 2022; 13:4684. [PMID: 35948530 PMCID: PMC9365849 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32348-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2021] [Accepted: 07/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Obesity and obesity-related health complications are increasing in prevalence. Adipose tissue from obese subjects has low-grade, chronic inflammation, leading to insulin resistance. Adipose tissue macrophages (ATMs) are a source of proinflammatory cytokines that further aggravate adipocyte dysfunction. In response to a high fat diet (HFD), ATM numbers initially increase by proliferation of resident macrophages, but subsequent increases also result from infiltration in response to chemotactic signals from inflamed adipose tissue. To elucidate the underlying mechanisms regulating the increases in ATMs and their proinflammatory phenotype, we investigated the role of activation of ATM epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). A high fat diet increased expression of EGFR and its ligand amphiregulin in ATMs. Selective deletion of EGFR in ATMs inhibited both resident ATM proliferation and monocyte infiltration into adipose tissue and decreased obesity and development of insulin resistance. Therefore, ATM EGFR activation plays an important role in adipose tissue dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shirong Cao
- Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Center for Kidney Disease, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Yu Pan
- Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Center for Kidney Disease, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Division of Nephrology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Jiaqi Tang
- Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Center for Kidney Disease, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Andrew S Terker
- Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Center for Kidney Disease, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Juan Pablo Arroyo Ornelas
- Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Center for Kidney Disease, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Guan-Nan Jin
- Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Center for Kidney Disease, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Yinqiu Wang
- Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Center for Kidney Disease, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Aolei Niu
- Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Center for Kidney Disease, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Xiaofeng Fan
- Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Center for Kidney Disease, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Suwan Wang
- Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Center for Kidney Disease, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Raymond C Harris
- Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
- Vanderbilt Center for Kidney Disease, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
- Veterans Affairs, Nashville, TN, USA.
| | - Ming-Zhi Zhang
- Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
- Vanderbilt Center for Kidney Disease, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
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