Research studies demonstrated that interleukin (IL)-1β contributes to the development of diabetic nephropathy and hypertension. However, the origin and regulation of IL-1β synthesis during diabetic kidney injury are still unknown. Here, we hypothesize that renal epithelial cells produce IL-1β in response to a high glucose stress and that angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) plays a key role in this process. To study this, we isolated proximal tubular (PT) epithelial cells from wild-type (WT) and mice lacking either the ACE N-domain (NKO) or the C-domain (CKO) catalytic activity. These cells were exposed to normal (5 mM) or high (30 mM) glucose for 24 hours. IL-1β produced by PT cells were assessed by ELISA and RT-PCR. High glucose induced WT PT cells to release significant amounts of IL-1β (from 5±1 to 70±6 pg/ml, p<0.001; n=6). When WT PT cells were exposed to a high glucose media in the presence of an ACE inhibitor (lisinopril, 10 mM), IL-1β levels were significantly reduced (from 70±6 to 38±6 pg/ml, p<0.01). In contrast, AT1 receptor blockade by losartan did not change the amount of IL-1β produced by WT PT cells. To determine which ACE domain is associated with IL-1β production, NKO and CKO PT cells were exposed to high glucose. Strikingly, NKO PT cells released lower amounts of IL-1β when exposed to high glucose compared to WT (NKO: 15±7 vs. WT: 79±9 pg/ml, p<0.01, n=4). No differences were observed between WT and CKO PT cells. Since the ACE N-domain degrades the anti-inflammatory tetrapeptide N-acetyl-Ser-Asp-Lys-Pro (AcSDKP), we tested whether the lower IL-1β production in NKO PT cells was due to an accumulation of AcSDKP. For this, we pre-treated NKO PT cells with a prolyl endopeptidase inhibitor (S17092, 50μM) to prevent the production of AcSDKP. Notably, this treatment increased the IL-1β response to high glucose in NKO PT cells (2.1±0.3-fold increase, p<0.01, n=4). Our data indicate that: 1) PT cells can sense and respond to high glucose by secreting IL-1β and 2) the absence of the ACE N-domain blunts the production of IL-1β through a mechanism that involves AcSDKP accumulation. In conclusion, ACE might contribute to the inflammatory response that underlays diabetic nephropathy independently from angiotensin II generation.
Corrigendum to Wu L, Liu C, Chang D-Y, et al. Annexin A1 alleviates kidney injury by promoting the resolution of inflammation in diabetic nephropathy. Kidney Int. 2021;100:107–121
