scholarly journals MicroRNA-27a promotes podocyte injury via PPARγ-mediated β-catenin activation in diabetic nephropathy

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. e2658-e2658 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhanmei Zhou ◽  
Jiao Wan ◽  
Xiaoyan Hou ◽  
Jian Geng ◽  
Xiao Li ◽  
...  

Abstract Podocyte injury has a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy (DN). MicroRNA-27a (miR-27a), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) and β-catenin pathways have been involved in the pathogenesis of DN. Herein, we asked whether miR-27a mediates podocyte injury through PPARγ/β-catenin signaling in DN. The functional relevance of miR-27a, PPARγ and β-catenin were investigated in cultured podocytes and glomeruli of diabetic rats and patients using in vitro and in vivo approaches. Podocyte injury was assessed by migration, invasion and apoptosis assay. Biological parameters were analyzed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. We found that high glucose stimulated miR-27a expression, which, by negatively targeting PPARγ, activated β-catenin signaling as evidenced by upregulation of β-catenin target genes, snail1 and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and downregulation of podocyte-specific markers podocin and synaptopodin. These changes caused podocyte injury as demonstrated by increased podocyte mesenchymal transition, disrupted podocyte architectural integrity and increased podocyte apoptosis. Furthermore, we provide evidence that miR-27a contributed to unfavorable renal function and increased podocyte injury in diabetic rats. Notably, miR-27a exhibited clinical and biological relevance as it was linked to elevated serum creatinine, proteinuria and reduced creatinine clearance rate. In addition, miR-27a upregulation and activation of PPARγ/β-catenin signaling were verified in renal biopsy samples from DN patients. We propose a novel role of the miR-27a/PPARγ/β-catenin axis in fostering the progression toward more deteriorated podocyte injury in DN. Targeting miR-27a could be a potential therapeutic approach for DN.

Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 950 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shu Horikoshi ◽  
Noboru Fukuda ◽  
Akiko Tsunemi ◽  
Makiyo Okamura ◽  
Masari Otsuki ◽  
...  

TGF-β1 has been known to induce diabetic nephropathy with renal fibrosis and glomerulosclerosis. DNA-recognized peptide compound pyrrole-imidazole (PI) polyamides as novel biomedicines can strongly bind promoter lesions of target genes to inhibit its transcription. We have developed PI polyamide targeting TGF-β1 for progressive renal diseases. In the present study, we evaluated the contribution of TGF-β1 in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy, and examined the effects of PI polyamide targeting TGF-β1 on the progression of diabetic nephropathy in rats. For in vitro experiments, rat renal mesangial cells were incubated with a high (25 mM) glucose concentration. Diabetic nephropathy was established in vivo in eight-week-old Wistar rats by intravenously administering 60 mg/kg streptozotocin (STZ). We examined the effects of PI polyamide targeting TGF-β1 on phenotype and the growth of mesangial cells, in vitro, and the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy in vivo. High glucose significantly increased expression of TGF-β1 mRNA, changed the phenotype to synthetic, and increased growth of mesangial cells. STZ diabetic rats showed increases in urinary excretions of protein and albumin, glomerular and interstitial degenerations, and podocyte injury. Treatment with PI polyamide targeting TGF-β1 twice weekly for three months improved the glomerular and interstitial degenerations by histological evaluation. Treatment with PI polyamide improved podocyte injury by electron microscopy evaluation. These findings suggest that TGF-β1 may be a pivotal factor in the progression of diabetic nephropathy, and PI polyamide targeting TGF-β1 as a practical medicine may improve nephropathy.


2009 ◽  
Vol 297 (6) ◽  
pp. G1093-G1106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steve S. Choi ◽  
Alessia Omenetti ◽  
Rafal P. Witek ◽  
Cynthia A. Moylan ◽  
Wing-Kin Syn ◽  
...  

Myofibroblastic hepatic stellate cells (MF-HSC) are derived from quiescent hepatic stellate cells (Q-HSC). Q-HSC express certain epithelial cell markers and have been reported to form junctional complexes similar to epithelial cells. We have shown that Hedgehog (Hh) signaling plays a key role in HSC growth. Because Hh ligands regulate epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), we determined whether Q-HSC express EMT markers and then assessed whether these markers change as Q-HSC transition into MF-HSC and whether the process is modulated by Hh signaling. Q-HSC were isolated from healthy livers and cultured to promote myofibroblastic transition. Changes in mRNA and protein expression of epithelial and mesenchymal markers, Hh ligands, and target genes were monitored in HSC treated with and without cyclopamine (an Hh inhibitor). Studies were repeated in primary human HSC and clonally derived HSC from a cirrhotic rat. Q-HSC activation in vitro (culture) and in vivo (CCl4-induced cirrhosis) resulted in decreased expression of Hh-interacting protein (Hhip, an Hh antagonist), the EMT inhibitors bone morphogenic protein (BMP-7) and inhibitor of differentiation (Id2), the adherens junction component E-cadherin, and epithelial keratins 7 and 19 and increased expression of Gli2 (an Hh target gene) and mesenchymal markers, including the mesenchyme-associated transcription factors Lhx2 and Msx2, the myofibroblast marker α-smooth muscle actin, and matrix molecules such as collagen. Cyclopamine reverted myofibroblastic transition, reducing mesenchymal gene expression while increasing epithelial markers in rodent and human HSC. We conclude that Hh signaling plays a key role in transition of Q-HSC into MF-HSC. Our findings suggest that Q-HSC are capable of transitioning between epithelial and mesenchymal fates.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fangqiang Cui ◽  
Dawei Zou ◽  
Yanbin Gao ◽  
Na Zhang ◽  
Jinyang Wang ◽  
...  

Podocyte injury is an important mechanism of diabetic nephropathy (DN). Accumulating evidence suggests that nephrin expression is decreased in podocyte in DN. Moreover, it has been demonstrated that tongxinluo (TXL) can ameliorate renal structure disruption and dysfunction in DN. However, the effect of TXL on podocyte injury in DN and its molecular mechanism is unclear. In order to explore the effect of TXL on podocyte injury and its molecular mechanism in DN, our in vivo and in vitro studies were performed. Our results showed that TXL increased nephrin expression in diabetic rats and in high glucose cultured podocyte. Meanwhile, TXL decreased ICN1 (the intracellular domain of notch), HES1, and snail expression in podocyte in vivo and in vitro. More importantly, we found that TXL protected podocyte from injury in DN. The results demonstrated that TXL inhibited the activation of notch1/snail pathway and increased nephrin expression, which may be a mechanism of protecting effect on podocyte injury in DN.


PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e8016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiajing Che ◽  
Xin Deng ◽  
Kewei Xie ◽  
Qin Wang ◽  
Jiayi Yan ◽  
...  

Background Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is one of the principal complications of diabetes and podocyte injury plays an important role in the DN pathogenesis. Wnt/β-catenin signaling overactivation confers podocyte injury and promotes multiple types of renal disease. However, the underlying mechanism of Wnt/β-catenin signaling activation in DN progression has not been fully elucidated. Long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) is a large class of endogenous RNA molecules lacking functional code capacity and which participates in the pathogenesis of human disease, including DN. Method A diabetes model was constructed by intraperitoneal injection of Streptozotocin in rats. The MPC5 cells were used to create the in vitro model. Western blot and Quantitative reverse-transcriptase-PCR were used to examine the expression of protein and mRNA. The migrated capacity was analyzed by Transwell migration assay. The cell viability was detected by CCK8. Results In the present study, we revealed the association of lncRNA Maternally Expressed Gene 3 (MEG3) with aberrant activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling and the role of MEG3/Wnt axis in podocyte injury. We found that high glucose (HG) treatment suppressed MEG3 expression in cultured podocytes, activated Wnt/β-catenin signaling and caused podocyte injury as indicated by the downregulation of podocyte-specific markers (podocin and synaptopodin) and the upregulation of snail1 and α-smooth muscle actin. Overexpression of MEG3 attenuated HG-induced podocyte injury by reducing Wnt/β-catenin activity, repressing cell migration, reactive oxygen species production and increasing the viability of podocytes. Furthermore, we provided evidences that restoration of Wnt/β-catenin signaling by specific agonist impeded the protective effect of MEG3 on podocyte injury. Current results demonstrated that MEG3/Wnt axis plays an important role in fostering podocyte injury and may serve as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of DN. Conclusion lncRNA MEG3 ameliorates podocyte injury in DN via inactivating Wnt/β-catenin signaling.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (10) ◽  
pp. 5194
Author(s):  
Paola Pontrelli ◽  
Francesca Conserva ◽  
Rossella Menghini ◽  
Michele Rossini ◽  
Alessandra Stasi ◽  
...  

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the most frequent cause of end-stage renal disease. Tubulointerstitial accumulation of lysine 63 (K63)-ubiquitinated (Ub) proteins is involved in the progression of DN fibrosis and correlates with urinary miR-27b-3p downregulation. We explored the renoprotective effect of an inhibitor of K63-Ub (NSC697923), alone or in combination with the ACE-inhibitor ramipril, in vitro and in vivo. Proximal tubular epithelial cells and diabetic DBA/2J mice were treated with NSC697923 and/or ramipril. K63-Ub protein accumulation along with α-SMA, collagen I and III, FSP-1, vimentin, p16INK4A expression, SA-α Gal staining, Sirius Red, and PAS staining were measured. Finally, we measured the urinary albumin to creatinine ratio (uACR), and urinary miR-27b-3p expression in mice. NSC697923, both alone and in association with ramipril, in vitro and in vivo inhibited hyperglycemia-induced epithelial to mesenchymal transition by significantly reducing K63-Ub proteins, α-SMA, collagen I, vimentin, FSP-1 expression, and collagen III along with tubulointerstitial and glomerular fibrosis. Treated mice also showed recovery of urinary miR-27b-3p and restored expression of p16INK4A. Moreover, NSC697923 in combination with ramipril demonstrated a trend in the reduction of uACR. In conclusion, we suggest that selective inhibition of K63-Ub, when combined with the conventional treatment with ACE inhibitors, might represent a novel treatment strategy to prevent the progression of fibrosis and proteinuria in diabetic nephropathy and we propose miR-27b-3p as a biomarker of treatment efficacy.


2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (10) ◽  
pp. 2168-2191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bronson A. Haynes ◽  
Li Fang Yang ◽  
Ryan W. Huyck ◽  
Eric J. Lehrer ◽  
Joshua M. Turner ◽  
...  

Objective: Endothelial cells (EC) in obese adipose tissue (AT) are exposed to a chronic proinflammatory environment that may induce a mesenchymal-like phenotype and altered function. The objective of this study was to establish whether endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndoMT) is present in human AT in obesity and to investigate the effect of such transition on endothelial function and the endothelial particulate secretome represented by extracellular vesicles (EV). Approach and Results: We identified EndoMT in obese human AT depots by immunohistochemical co-localization of CD31 or vWF and α-SMA (alpha-smooth muscle actin). We showed that AT EC exposed in vitro to TGF-β (tumor growth factor-β), TNF-α (tumor necrosis factor-α), and IFN-γ (interferon-γ) undergo EndoMT with progressive loss of endothelial markers. The phenotypic change results in failure to maintain a tight barrier in culture, increased migration, and reduced angiogenesis. EndoMT also reduced mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and glycolytic capacity of EC. EVs produced by EC that underwent EndoMT dramatically reduced angiogenic capacity of the recipient naïve ECs without affecting their migration or proliferation. Proteomic analysis of EV produced by EC in the proinflammatory conditions showed presence of several pro-inflammatory and immune proteins along with an enrichment in angiogenic receptors. Conclusions: We demonstrated the presence of EndoMT in human AT in obesity. EndoMT in vitro resulted in production of EV that transferred some of the functional and metabolic features to recipient naïve EC. This result suggests that functional and molecular features of EC that underwent EndoMT in vivo can be disseminated in a paracrine or endocrine fashion and may induce endothelial dysfunction in distant vascular beds.


2014 ◽  
Vol 92 (5) ◽  
pp. 405-417 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xian-Wei Li ◽  
Yan Liu ◽  
Wei Hao ◽  
Jie-Ren Yang

Sequoyitol decreases blood glucose, improves glucose intolerance, and enhances insulin signaling in ob/ob mice. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of sequoyitol on diabetic nephropathy in rats with type 2 diabetes mellitus and the mechanism of action. Diabetic rats, induced with a high-fat diet and a low dose of streptozotocin, and were administered sequoyitol (12.5, 25.0, and 50.0 mg·(kg body mass)−1·d−1) for 6 weeks. The levels of fasting blood glucose (FBG), serum insulin, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and serum creatinine (SCr) were measured. The expression levels of p22phox, p47phox, NF-κB, and TGF-β1 were measured using immunohistochemisty, real-time PCR, and (or) Western blot. The total antioxidative capacity (T-AOC), as well as the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) were also determined. The results showed that sequoyitol significantly decreased FBG, BUN, and SCr levels, and increased the insulin levels in diabetic rats. The level of T-AOC was significantly increased, while ROS and MDA levels and the expression of p22phox, p47phox, NF-κB, and TGF-β1 were decreased with sequoyitol treatment both in vivo and in vitro. These results suggested that sequoyitol ameliorates the progression of diabetic nephropathy in rats, as induced by a high-fat diet and a low dose of streptozotocin, through its glucose-lowering effects, antioxidant activity, and regulation of TGF-β1 expression.


2012 ◽  
Vol 111 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Liudmila Zakharova ◽  
Hikmet Nural ◽  
Mohamed A Gaballa

Cardiac progenitor cells are generated from atria explants; however the cellular origin and the mechanisms of cell outgrowth are unclear. Using transgenic tamoxifen-induced Willms tumor 1 (Wt1)-Cre/ERT and Cre-activated GFP reporter mice, we found approximately 40% of explant-derived cells and 74% of explant-derived c-Kit+ cells originated from the epicardium. In atria from sham hearts, Wt1+ cells were located in a thin epicardial layer, while c-Kit+ cells were primarily found within both the sub-epicardium and the myocardium, albeit at low frequency. No overlap between c-Kit+ and Wt1+ cells was observed, suggesting that epicardial Wt1+ cells do not express c-Kit marker in vivo, but more likely the c-Kit marker was acquired in culture. Compared with 4 days in culture, at day 21 we observed 7 folds increase in Snail gene expression; 32% increase in α-smooth muscle actin (SMA) marker, and 30% decrease in E-cadherin marker, suggesting that the explant-derived cells underwent epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) in vitro. Cell outgrowths released TGF-β (1036.4 ± 1.18 pm/ml) and exhibited active TGF-β signaling, which might triggered the EMT. Compared to shams, CHF cell outgrowths exhibited elevated levels of EMT markers, SMA (49% vs. 34%) and Snail (2 folds), and reduced level of Wt1 (11% vs. 22%). In addition, CHF cell outgrowths had two folds increase in Pai1 gene expression, a direct target of TGF-β signaling. In c-Kit+ cells derived from CHF explants, Nanog gene expression was 4 folds lower and Sox 2 was 2 folds lower compared with cells from shams. Suppression of EMT in cell outgrowth increased the percentage of c-Kit+ and Wt1+ cells by 17%, and 15%, respectively. Also suppression of EMT in c-Kit+ cells resulted in 4 folds increase in Nanog and 3 fold increase in Sox2 gene expressions. Our results showed that CHF may further exuberates EMT while diminishes the re-activation of pluripotency genes. Thus, EMT modulation in CHF is a possible strategy to regulate both the yield and the pluripotency of cardiac-explant-derived progenitor cells.


Endocrinology ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 150 (9) ◽  
pp. 4074-4083 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ji-Won Kim ◽  
Young-Hye You ◽  
Dong-Sik Ham ◽  
Jae-Hyoung Cho ◽  
Seung-Hyun Ko ◽  
...  

Abstract Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ-coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) is significantly elevated in the islets of animal models of diabetes. However, the molecular mechanism has not been clarified. We investigated whether the suppression of PGC-1α expression protects against β-cell dysfunction in vivo and determined the mechanism of action of PGC-1α in β-cells. The studies were performed in glucolipotixicity-induced primary rat islets and INS-1 cells. In vitro and in vivo approaches using adenoviruses were used to evaluate the role of PGC-1α in glucolipotoxicity-associated β-cell dysfunction. The expression of PGC-1α in cultured β-cells increased gradually with glucolipotoxicity. The overexpression of PGC-1α also suppressed the expression of the insulin and β-cell E-box transcription factor (BETA2/NeuroD) genes, which was reversed by PGC-1α small interfering RNA (siRNA). BETA2/NeuroD, p300-enhanced BETA2/NeuroD, and insulin transcriptional activities were significantly suppressed by Ad-PGC-1α but were rescued by Ad-siPGC-1α. PGC-1α binding at the glucocorticoid receptor site on the BETA2/NeuroD promoter increased in the presence of PGC-1α. Ad-siPGC-1α injection through the celiac arteries of 90% pancreatectomized diabetic rats improved their glucose tolerance and maintained their fasting insulin levels. The suppression of PGC-1α expression protects the glucolipotoxicity-induced β-cell dysfunction in vivo and in vitro. A better understanding of the functions of molecules such as PGC-1α, which play key roles in intracellular fuel regulation, could herald a new era of the treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus by providing protection from glucolipotoxicity, which is an important cause of the development and progression of the disease.


2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (11) ◽  
pp. 565-578 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongqiang Wang ◽  
Rui Zhou ◽  
Li Sun ◽  
Jianling Xia ◽  
Xuchun Yang ◽  
...  

Aerobic glycolysis plays an important role in cancer progression. New target genes regulating cancer aerobic glycolysis must be explored to improve patient prognosis. Mitochondrial topoisomerase I (TOP1MT) deficiency suppresses glucose oxidative metabolism but enhances glycolysis in normal cells. Here, we examined the role of TOP1MT in gastric cancer (GC) and attempted to determine the underlying mechanism. Using in vitro and in vivo experiments and analyzing the clinicopathological characteristics of patients with GC, we found that TOP1MT expression was lower in GC samples than in adjacent nonmalignant tissues. TOP1MT knockdown significantly promoted GC migration and invasion in vitro and in vivo. Importantly, TOP1MT silencing increased glucose consumption, lactate production, glucose transporter 1 expression and the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in GC. Additionally, regulation of glucose metabolism induced by TOP1MT was significantly associated with lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA) expression. A retrospective analysis of clinical data from 295 patients with GC demonstrated that low TOP1MT expression was associated with lymph node metastasis, recurrence and high mortality rates. TOP1MT deficiency enhanced glucose aerobic glycolysis by stimulating LDHA to promote GC progression.


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