The Long Noncoding RNA-H19 Mediates the Progression of Fibrosis from Acute Kidney Injury to Chronic Kidney Disease by Regulating the miR-196a/Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling

Nephron ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Xiangnan Dong ◽  
Rui Cao ◽  
Qiang Li ◽  
Lianghong Yin

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to be involved in the occurrence and development of various diseases. This study was to investigate the role of lncRNA-H19 in the transition from acute kidney injury (AKI) to chronic kidney disease (CKD) and its underlying mechanism. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> Bilateral renal pedicle ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) was used to establish the IRI-AKI model in C57BL/6 mice. The expression levels of lncRNA-H19, miR-196a-5p, α-SMA, collagen I, Wnt1, and β-catenin in mouse kidney tissues and fibroblasts were determined by quantitative real-time PCR and Western blotting. The degree of renal fibrosis was evaluated by hematoxylin and eosin staining. The interaction between lncRNA-H19 and miR-196a-5p was verified by bioinformatics analysis and luciferase reporter assay. Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence were used to evaluate the expression of α-SMA and collagen I in kidney tissues and fibroblasts of mice. <b><i>Results:</i></b> lncRNA-H19 is upregulated, and miR-196a-5p is downregulated in kidney tissues of IRI mice. Moreover, miR-196a-5p is a direct target of lncRNA-H19. lncRNA-H19 overexpression promotes kidney fibrosis and activates fibroblasts during AKI-CKD development, while miR-196a-5p overexpression reversed these effects in vitro. Furthermore, lncRNA-H19 overexpression significantly upregulates Wnt1 and β-catenin expression in kidney tissues and fibroblasts of IRI mice, while miR-196a-5p overexpression downregulates Wnt1 and β-catenin expression in kidney tissues and fibroblasts of IRI mice. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> lncRNA-H19 induces kidney fibrosis during AKI-CKD by regulating the miR-196a-5p/Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Jing-Ying Zhao ◽  
Yu-Bin Wu

Endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) is strongly associated with acute kidney injury (AKI) to chronic kidney disease (CKD) transition. Huaier extract (HE) protects against kidney injury; albeit, the underlying mechanism is unknown. We hypothesized that HE reduces kidney injury by inhibiting ERS. In this study, using an AKI-CKD mouse model of ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI), we evaluated the effect of HE on AKI-CKD transition. We also explored the underlying molecular mechanisms in this animal model and in the HK-2 human kidney cell line. The results showed that HE treatment improved the renal function, demonstrated by a significant decrease in serum creatinine levels after IRI. HE appreciably reduced the degree of kidney injury and fibrosis and restored the expression of the microRNA miR-1271 after IRI. Furthermore, HE reduced the expression of ERS markers glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) and C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) and inhibited apoptosis in the IRI group. This in vivo effect was supported by in vitro results in which HE inhibited apoptosis and decreased the expression of CHOP and GRP78 induced by ERS. We demonstrated that CHOP is a target of miR-1271. In conclusion, HE reduces kidney injury, probably by inhibiting apoptosis and decreasing the expression of GRP78 and CHOP via miR-1271 upregulation.


2019 ◽  
Vol 317 (2) ◽  
pp. F286-F295 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jin Wei ◽  
Jie Zhang ◽  
Lei Wang ◽  
Shan Jiang ◽  
Liying Fu ◽  
...  

Acute kidney injury (AKI) significantly increases the risk of development of chronic kidney disease (CKD), which is closely associated with the severity of AKI. However, the underlying mechanisms for the AKI to CKD transition remain unclear. Several animal models with AKI to CKD transition have been generated and widely used in research; however, none of them exhibit the typical changes in glomerular filtration rate or plasma creatinine, the hallmarks of CKD. In the present study, we developed a novel model with a typical phenotype of AKI to CKD transition in C57BL/6 mice. In this model, life-threatening ischemia-reperfusion injury was performed in one kidney, whereas the contralateral kidney was kept intact to maintain animal survival; then, after 2 wk of recovery, when the renal function of the injured kidney restored above the survival threshold, the contralateral intact kidney was removed. Animals of this two-stage unilateral ischemia-reperfusion injury model with pedicle clamping of 21 and 24 min exhibited an incomplete recovery from AKI and subsequent progression of CKD with characteristics of a progressive decline in glomerular filtration rate, increase in plasma creatinine, worsening of proteinuria, and deleterious histopathological changes, including interstitial fibrosis and glomerulosclerosis. In conclusion, a new model of the AKI to CKD transition was generated in C57BL/6 mice.


2017 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 1841-1854 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Zhou ◽  
Jiying  Zhong ◽  
Sen  Lin ◽  
Zhenxing Huang ◽  
Hongtao Chen ◽  
...  

Background: Renal fibrosis is a common pathophysiological feature of chronic kidney disease. Acute kidney injury (AKI) is defined as an independent causal factor of chronic kidney disease, with a pathological representation of post renal fibrosis. However, the etiopathogenesis underlying post renal fibrosis induced by AKI is not completely understood. Methods: BALB/c mice were treated with bpv or vehicle controls and were, respectively, the ischemia reperfusion (IR) model group and control group. All of the animals had blood taken from the orbital venous plexus at 24 hours after IR. Six mice in each group were randomly chosen and euthanized 7 days after IR treatment, and the remaining six mice in each group were euthanized 14 days after IR treatment. We examined the effect on post kidney fibrosis of inhibiting PTEN activity in mice in an IR induced AKI experimental model. Results: Compared with vehicle mice, bpv-(PTEN specific inhibitor) treated mice accumulated more bone marrow-derived fibroblasts and myofibroblasts in the kidneys. Inhibition of PTEN activity increased the expression of α-smooth muscle actin and extracellular matrix proteins and post kidney fibrosis. Furthermore, inhibition of PTEN activity resulted in more inflammatory cytokines in the kidneys of mice subjected to IR-induced renal fibrosis. Moreover, inhibition of PTEN activity up-regulated PI3K protein expression and Akt phosphorylation. Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that PTEN played an important role in post renal fibrosis in mice with ischemia reperfusion-induced AKI. These results indicated that the PTEN/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway may serve as a novel therapeutic target for AKI-induced chronic kidney disease.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xue Hong ◽  
Yanni Zhou ◽  
Dedong Wang ◽  
Fuping Lyu ◽  
Tianjun Guan ◽  
...  

Studies suggest that Wnt/β-catenin agonists are beneficial in the treatment of acute kidney injury (AKI); however, it remains elusive about its role in the prevention of AKI and its progression to chronic kidney disease (CKD). In this study, renal Wnt/β-catenin signaling was either activated by overexpression of exogenous Wnt1 or inhibited by administration with ICG-001, a small molecule inhibitor of β-catenin signaling, before mice were subjected to ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) to induce AKI and subsequent CKD. Our results showed that in vivo expression of exogenous Wnt1 before IR protected mice against AKI, and impeded the progression of AKI to CKD in mice, as evidenced by both blood biochemical and kidney histological analyses. In contrast, pre-treatment of ICG-001 before IR had no effect on renal Wnt/β-catenin signaling or the progression of AKI to CKD. Mechanistically, in vivo expression of exogenous Wnt1 before IR suppressed the expression of proapoptotic proteins in AKI mice, and reduced inflammatory responses in both AKI and CKD mice. Additionally, exogenous Wnt1 inhibited apoptosis of tubular cells induced by hypoxia-reoxygenation (H/R) treatment in vitro. To conclude, the present study provides evidences to support the preventive effect of Wnt/β-catenin activation on IR-related AKI and its subsequent progression to CKD.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lilin Li ◽  
Jeonghwan Lee ◽  
Ara Cho ◽  
Jin Hyuk Kim ◽  
Wonmin Ju ◽  
...  

We aimed to investigate the role of cMet agonistic antibody (cMet Ab) in preventing kidney fibrosis during acute kidney injury (AKI) to chronic kidney disease (CKD) transition. Additionally, we explored the effect of cMet Ab on TGF-β1/Smad pathway during the pathogenesis of kidney fibrosis. A unilateral ischemia-reperfusion injury (UIRI) mouse model was established to induce AKI-to-CKD transition. Furthermore, we incubated human proximal tubular epithelial cells under hypoxic conditions as in vitro model of kidney fibrosis. We analyzed the soluble plasma cMet level in patients with AKI requiring dialysis. Patients who did not recover kidney function and progressed to CKD presented a higher increase in the cMet level. The kidneys of mice treated with cMet Ab showed fewer contractions and weighed more than the controls. The mice in the cMet Ab-treated group showed reduced fibrosis and significantly decreased expression of fibronectin and α-smooth muscle actin. cMet Ab treatment decreased inflammatory marker (MCP-1, TNF-α, and IL-1β) expression, reduced Smurf1 and Smad2/3 level, and increased Smad7 expressions. cMet Ab treatment increased cMet expression and reduced the hypoxia-induced increase in collagen-1 and ICAM-1 expression, thereby reducing apoptosis in the in vitro cell model. After cMet Ab treatment, hypoxia-induced expression of Smurf1, Smad2/3, and TGF-β1 was reduced, and suppressed Smad7 was activated. Down-regulation of Smurf1 resulted in suppression of hypoxia-induced fibronectin expression, whereas treatment with cMet Ab showed synergistic effects. cMet Ab can successfully prevent fibrosis response in UIRI models of kidney fibrosis by decreasing inflammatory response and inhibiting the TGF-β1/Smad pathway.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhihuang Zheng ◽  
Kexin Xu ◽  
Chuanlei Li ◽  
Chenyang Qi ◽  
Yili Fang ◽  
...  

AbstractNod-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3), as an inflammatory regulator, has been implicated in acute kidney injury (AKI). Failed recovery after AKI can lead to chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, the role of NLRP3 in the AKI-CKD transition is still unknown. A mild or severe AKI mouse model was performed by using ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI). We evaluated the renal NLRP3 expression in acute and chronic phases of ischemic AKI, respectively. Although serum creatinine (Cr) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels in AKI chronic phase were equivalent to normal baseline, histological analysis and fibrotic markers revealed that severe AKI-induced maladaptive tubular repair with immune cell infiltration and fibrosis. Tubular damage was restored completely in mild AKI rather than in severe AKI. Of note, persistent overexpression of NLRP3 was also found in severe AKI but not in mild AKI. In the severe AKI-induced chronic phase, there was a long-term high level of NLRP3 in serum or urine. Overt NLRP3 was mainly distributed in the abnormal tubules surrounded by inflammatory infiltrates and fibrosis, which indicated the maladaptive repair. Renal Nlrp3 overexpression was correlated with infiltrating macrophages and fibrosis. Renal NLRP3 signaling-associated genes were upregulated after severe AKI by RNA-sequencing. Furthermore, NLRP3 was found increased in renal tubular epitheliums from CKD biopsies. Together, persistent NLRP3 overexpression was associated with chronic pathological changes following AKI, which might be a new biomarker for evaluating the possibility of AKI-CKD transition.


2019 ◽  
Vol 317 (4) ◽  
pp. F1068-F1080 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren Scarfe ◽  
Anna Menshikh ◽  
Emily Newton ◽  
Yuantee Zhu ◽  
Rachel Delgado ◽  
...  

Severe acute kidney injury has a high mortality and is a risk factor for progressive chronic kidney disease. None of the potential therapies that have been identified in preclinical studies have successfully improved clinical outcomes. This failure is partly because animal models rarely reflect the complexity of human disease: most preclinical studies are short term and are commonly performed in healthy, young, male mice. Therapies that are effective in preclinical models that share common clinical features seen in patients with acute kidney injury, including genetic diversity, different sexes, and comorbidities, and evaluate long-term outcomes are more likely to predict success in the clinic. Here, we evaluated susceptibility to chronic kidney disease after ischemia-reperfusion injury with delayed nephrectomy by monitoring long-term functional and histological responses to injury. We defined conditions required to induce long-term postinjury renal dysfunction and fibrosis without increased mortality in a reproducible way and evaluate effect of mouse strains, sexes, and preexisting diabetes on these responses.


Nephron ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
David P. Basile ◽  
Jason A. Collett

This review focuses on the potential mediation in the acute kidney injury (AKI)-to-chronic kidney disease (CKD) transition by lymphocytes. We highlight evidence that lymphocytes, particularly Th17 cells, modulate the severity of both acute injury and chronic kidney disease. Th17 cells are strongly influenced by the activity of the store-operated Ca<sup>2+</sup>channel Orai1, which is upregulated on lymphocytes in animal models of AKI. Inhibition of this channel attenuates both acute and chronic kidney injury in rodent models. In addition, Oria1+ cells are increased in peripheral blood of patients with AKI. Similarly, peripheral blood cells manifest an early and sustained increase in Orai1 expression in a rat model of ischemia/reperfusion, suggesting that blood cell Orai1 may represent a marker informing potential Th17 activity in the setting of AKI or the AKI-to-CKD transition.


2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (12) ◽  
pp. 1628-1638 ◽  
Author(s):  
J-Y Zhao ◽  
X-L Wang ◽  
Y-C Yang ◽  
B Zhang ◽  
Y-B Wu

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is an independent risk factor for chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, the role and mechanism of microRNA (miRNA, miR) in AKI-CKD transition are elusive. In this study, a murine model of renal ischemia/reperfusion was established to investigate the repairing effect and mechanism of miR-101a-3p on renal injury. The pathological damage of renal tissue was observed by hematoxylin and eosin and Masson staining. The levels of miR-101, profibrotic cytokines, and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers were analyzed using Western blotting, real-time polymerase chain reaction, and/or immunofluorescence. MiR-101 overexpression caused the downregulation of α-smooth muscle actin, collagen-1, and vimentin, as well as upregulation of E-cadherin, thereby alleviating the degree of renal tissue damage. MiR-101 overexpression mitigated hypoxic HK-2 cell damage. Collagen, type X, alpha 1 and transforming growth factor β receptor 1 levels were downregulated in hypoxic cells transfected with miR-101 mimic. Our study indicates that miR-101 is an anti-EMT miRNA, which provides a novel therapeutic strategy for AKI-CKD transition.


Hypertension ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 77 (5) ◽  
pp. 1613-1626
Author(s):  
Junni Wang ◽  
Wanyun Nie ◽  
Xishao Xie ◽  
Mengqiu Bai ◽  
Yanhong Ma ◽  
...  

Inflammation and maladaptive repair play a crucial role in the development of chronic kidney disease and hypertension after acute kidney injury. To study the mechanisms involved in acute kidney injury-to-chronic kidney disease transition, we established a chronic renal fibrosis mouse model that was triggered by an initial ischemia/reperfusion–induced acute kidney injury (acute-chronic model). Downregulation of microRNA-874-3p during renal fibrosis was identified by a genome-wide RNA-sequencing and was further confirmed in cell-based assays, mouse models, and human samples. Overexpression of microRNA-874-3p in the kidneys markedly alleviated renal fibrosis, accompanied with decreased infiltrated macrophages and expression of α-smooth muscle actin, type I collagen, fibronectin, CCL (C-C motif chemokine ligand) 2, and ADAM (A Disintegrin and Metalloprotease) 19. ADAM19 is a target gene of microRNA-874-3p as shown by luciferase reporter assays and was upregulated in the acute-chronic model. Overexpression of ADAM19 directly induced the expression of fibrotic genes, CCL2, and macrophage infiltration in vivo. Depletion of macrophages using clodronate liposomes ameliorated the fibrogenic effects of ADAM19. Overexpression of ADAM19 also induced accumulation of the Notch1 intracellular domain, an upstream regulator of CCL2 expression, whereas Notch1 pathway antagonist N-(N-[3,5-difluorophenacetyl]-L-alanyl)-S-phenylglycine t-butyl ester reduced CCL2 level in ADAM19-overexpressed cells. Collectively, microRNA-874-3p/ADAM19 mediates renal fibrosis after acute kidney injury by increasing macrophage infiltration via the Notch1/CCL2 pathway.


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