scholarly journals The complicated role of mitochondria in the podocyte

2020 ◽  
Vol 319 (6) ◽  
pp. F955-F965
Author(s):  
Nehaben A. Gujarati ◽  
Jessica M. Vasquez ◽  
Daniel F. Bogenhagen ◽  
Sandeep K. Mallipattu

Mitochondria play a complex role in maintaining cellular function including ATP generation, generation of biosynthetic precursors for macromolecules, maintenance of redox homeostasis, and metabolic waste management. Although the contribution of mitochondrial function in various kidney diseases has been studied, there are still avenues that need to be explored under healthy and diseased conditions. Mitochondrial damage and dysfunction have been implicated in experimental models of podocytopathy as well as in humans with glomerular diseases resulting from podocyte dysfunction. Specifically, in the podocyte, metabolism is largely driven by oxidative phosphorylation or glycolysis depending on the metabolic needs. These metabolic needs may change drastically in the presence of podocyte injury in glomerular diseases such as diabetic kidney disease or focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. Here, we review the role of mitochondria in the podocyte and the factors regulating its function at baseline and in a variety of podocytopathies to identify potential targets for therapy.

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 820
Author(s):  
Mengyuan Ge ◽  
Sandra Merscher ◽  
Alessia Fornoni

Although dyslipidemia is associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD), it is more common in nephrotic syndrome (NS), and guidelines for the management of hyperlipidemia in NS are largely opinion-based. In addition to the role of circulating lipids, an increasing number of studies suggest that intrarenal lipids contribute to the progression of glomerular diseases, indicating that proteinuric kidney diseases may be a form of “fatty kidney disease” and that reducing intracellular lipids could represent a new therapeutic approach to slow the progression of CKD. In this review, we summarize recent progress made in the utilization of lipid-modifying agents to lower renal parenchymal lipid accumulation and to prevent or reduce kidney injury. The agents mentioned in this review are categorized according to their specific targets, but they may also regulate other lipid-relevant pathways.


2021 ◽  
Vol 28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinyun Chen ◽  
Qinghua Yin ◽  
Liang Ma ◽  
Ping Fu

: Considerable evidence has proved that disturbed cholesterol metabolism played a crucial role in diabetic kidney disease. Besides, massive cholesterol depositions were found in intrinsic renal cells of diabetic kidney disease patients and animal models, causing cytotoxicity, and affecting renal function. Statins could alleviate cholesterol depositions, podocyte injury and microalbuminuria of diabetic kidney disease. In the review, we summarized the process of disturbed cholesterol metabolism and discussed how it induced kidney dysfunction in diabetic kidney disease.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hua Qu ◽  
Xiaoli Gong ◽  
Xiufei Liu ◽  
Rui Zhang ◽  
Yuren Wang ◽  
...  

Mitochondrial function is essential for bioenergetics, metabolism and signaling and is compromised in diseases such as proteinuric kidney diseases, <a>contributing</a> to the global burden of kidney failure, cardiovascular morbidity and death. The key cell <a>type</a> that prevents proteinuria is the terminally differentiated glomerular podocyte. Here, we <a>characterized</a> the importance of mitochondrial glycerol 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (mGPDH), located on the inner mitochondrial membrane, in regulating podocyte function and glomerular disease. Specifically, podocyte-dominated mGPDH expression was downregulated in the glomeruli of patients and mice with diabetic kidney disease and adriamycin nephropathy. Podocyte-specific depletion of mGPDH in mice exacerbated <a>diabetes-</a> or adriamycin-induced proteinuria, podocyte injury and glomerular pathology. RNA sequencing revealed that mGPDH regulated the RAGE signaling pathway, and inhibition of RAGE or its ligand, S100A10, protected against the impaired mitochondrial bioenergetics and increased ROS generation caused by mGPDH knockdown in cultured podocytes. Moreover, RAGE deletion in podocytes attenuated nephropathy progression in mGPDH-deficient diabetic mice. Rescue of podocyte mGPDH expression in mice with established glomerular injury <a>significantly improved</a> their renal function. In summary, our study proposes that activation of mGPDH induces mitochondrial biogenesis and reinforces mitochondrial function, which may provide a potential therapeutic target for preventing podocyte injury and proteinuria in diabetic kidney disease.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hua Qu ◽  
Xiaoli Gong ◽  
Xiufei Liu ◽  
Rui Zhang ◽  
Yuren Wang ◽  
...  

Mitochondrial function is essential for bioenergetics, metabolism and signaling and is compromised in diseases such as proteinuric kidney diseases, <a>contributing</a> to the global burden of kidney failure, cardiovascular morbidity and death. The key cell <a>type</a> that prevents proteinuria is the terminally differentiated glomerular podocyte. Here, we <a>characterized</a> the importance of mitochondrial glycerol 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (mGPDH), located on the inner mitochondrial membrane, in regulating podocyte function and glomerular disease. Specifically, podocyte-dominated mGPDH expression was downregulated in the glomeruli of patients and mice with diabetic kidney disease and adriamycin nephropathy. Podocyte-specific depletion of mGPDH in mice exacerbated <a>diabetes-</a> or adriamycin-induced proteinuria, podocyte injury and glomerular pathology. RNA sequencing revealed that mGPDH regulated the RAGE signaling pathway, and inhibition of RAGE or its ligand, S100A10, protected against the impaired mitochondrial bioenergetics and increased ROS generation caused by mGPDH knockdown in cultured podocytes. Moreover, RAGE deletion in podocytes attenuated nephropathy progression in mGPDH-deficient diabetic mice. Rescue of podocyte mGPDH expression in mice with established glomerular injury <a>significantly improved</a> their renal function. In summary, our study proposes that activation of mGPDH induces mitochondrial biogenesis and reinforces mitochondrial function, which may provide a potential therapeutic target for preventing podocyte injury and proteinuria in diabetic kidney disease.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mingyang Chang ◽  
Bohan Chen ◽  
James Shaffner ◽  
Lance D. Dworkin ◽  
Rujun Gong

Melanocortin peptides, melanocortin receptors, melanocortin receptor accessory proteins, and endogenous antagonists of melanocortin receptors are the key components constituting the melanocortin hormone system, one of the most complex and important hormonal systems in our body. A plethora of evidence suggests that melanocortins possess a protective activity in a variety of kidney diseases in both rodent models and human patients. In particular, the steroidogenic melanocortin peptide adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), has been shown to exert a beneficial effect in a number of kidney diseases, possibly via a mechanism independent of its steroidogenic activity. In patients with steroid-resistant nephrotic glomerulopathy, ACTH monotherapy is still effective in inducing proteinuria remission. This has inspired research on potential implications of the melanocortin system in glomerular diseases. However, our understanding of the role of the melanocortinergic pathway in kidney disease is very limited, and there are still huge unknowns to be explored. The most controversial among these is the identification of effector cells in the kidney as well as the melanocortin receptors responsible for conveying the renoprotective action. This review article introduces the melanocortin hormone system, summarizes the existing evidence for the expression of melanocortin receptors in the kidney, and evaluates the potential strategy of melanocortin therapy for kidney disease.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (14) ◽  
pp. 7642
Author(s):  
Zoran V. Popovic ◽  
Felix Bestvater ◽  
Damir Krunic ◽  
Bernhard K. Krämer ◽  
Raoul Bergner ◽  
...  

The CD73 pathway is an important anti-inflammatory mechanism in various disease settings. Observations in mouse models suggested that CD73 might have a protective role in kidney damage; however, no direct evidence of its role in human kidney disease has been described to date. Here, we hypothesized that podocyte injury in human kidney diseases alters CD73 expression that may facilitate the diagnosis of podocytopathies. We assessed the expression of CD73 and one of its functionally important targets, the C-C chemokine receptor type 2 (CCR2), in podocytes from kidney biopsies of 39 patients with podocytopathy (including focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), minimal change disease (MCD), membranous glomerulonephritis (MGN) and amyloidosis) and a control group. Podocyte CD73 expression in each of the disease groups was significantly increased in comparison to controls (p < 0.001–p < 0.0001). Moreover, there was a marked negative correlation between CD73 and CCR2 expression, as confirmed by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence (Pearson r = −0.5068, p = 0.0031; Pearson r = −0.4705, p = 0.0313, respectively), thus suggesting a protective role of CD73 in kidney injury. Finally, we identify CD73 as a novel potential diagnostic marker of human podocytopathies, particularly of MCD that has been notorious for the lack of pathological features recognizable by light microscopy and immunohistochemistry.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 1525
Author(s):  
Chunling Huang ◽  
Ji Bian ◽  
Qinghua Cao ◽  
Xin-Ming Chen ◽  
Carol A. Pollock

Mitochondria are critical organelles that play a key role in cellular metabolism, survival, and homeostasis. Mitochondrial dysfunction has been implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetic kidney disease. The function of mitochondria is critically regulated by several mitochondrial protein kinases, including the phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN)-induced kinase 1 (PINK1). The focus of PINK1 research has been centered on neuronal diseases. Recent studies have revealed a close link between PINK1 and many other diseases including kidney diseases. This review will provide a concise summary of PINK1 and its regulation of mitochondrial function in health and disease. The physiological role of PINK1 in the major cells involved in diabetic kidney disease including proximal tubular cells and podocytes will also be summarized. Collectively, these studies suggested that targeting PINK1 may offer a promising alternative for the treatment of diabetic kidney disease.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roser Torra ◽  
Mónica Furlano ◽  
Alberto Ortiz ◽  
Elisabet Ars

Abstract Inherited kidney diseases (IKDs) are among the leading causes of early-onset chronic kidney disease (CKD) and are responsible for at least 10–15% of cases of kidney replacement therapy (KRT) in adults. Pediatric nephrologists are very aware of the high prevalence of IKDs among their patients, but this is not the case for adult nephrologists. Recent publications have demonstrated that monogenic diseases account for a significant percentage of adult cases of CKD. A substantial number of these patients have received a non-specific/incorrect diagnosis or a diagnosis of CKD of unknown etiology, which precludes correct treatment, follow-up and genetic counseling. There are a number of reasons why genetic kidney diseases are difficult to diagnose in adulthood: a) adult nephrologists, in general, are not knowledgeable about IKDs, b) existence of atypical phenotypes, c) genetic testing is not universally available, d) family history is not always available or may be negative, e) lack of knowledge of various genotype–phenotype relationships, f) conflicting interpretation of the pathogenicity of many sequence variants.


2021 ◽  
Vol 28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Wen ◽  
Hong-liu Yang ◽  
Lin Lin ◽  
Liang Ma ◽  
Ping Fu

: Kidney disease has complex and multifactorial pathophysiology and pathogenesis. Recent studies have revealed that epigenetic methylation changes, namely DNA methylation, histone methylation and non-histone methylation, are strongly implicated in various forms of kidney diseases. This review provides a perspective on the emerging role of epigenetic methylation in kidney disease, including the effects of DNA methylation in diverse promoter regions, regulation and implication of histone methylation, and recent advances and potential directions related to non-histone methylation. Monitoring or targeting epigenetic methylation has potential to contribute to development of therapeutic approaches for multiple kidney diseases.


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