Long noncoding RNA NEAT1 sponges miR-129 to modulate renal fibrosis by regulation of collagen type I

2020 ◽  
Vol 319 (1) ◽  
pp. F93-F105
Author(s):  
Chen Li ◽  
Yuan-Fei Liu ◽  
Chong Huang ◽  
Yan-Xia Chen ◽  
Cheng-Yun Xu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ureteral Obstruction ◽  
Renal Fibrosis ◽  
Noncoding Rna ◽  
Collagen Type ◽  
Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Transition Process ◽  
Collagen Type I ◽  
Unilateral Ureteral Obstruction ◽  
Type I ◽  
Mesenchymal Transition

The long noncoding RNA nuclear enriched abundant transcript 1 (NEAT1) has been reported to promote liver fibrosis progression. However, its molecular mechanism in renal fibrosis was not elucidated. In the present study, an in vitro model of renal fibrosis was established with HK-2 and HKC-8 cells treated with transforming growth factor-β1. C57BL/6 mice were used for the in vivo model with unilateral ureteral obstruction. Our results indicated that NEAT1 and collagen type I levels were significantly upregulated, whereas miR-129 was obviously downregulated, in the progression of renal fibrosis. Meanwhile, NEAT1 knockdown or miR-129 overexpression inhibited collagen type I deposition, the epithelial-mesenchymal transition process, and the inflammation response to suppress renal fibrosis. NEAT1 directly targeted miR-129, and miR-129 directly bound to collagen type I. Downregulation of miR-129 reversed inhibition of renal fibrosis induced by NEAT1 silencing, and upregulation of collagen type I also reversed inhibition of renal fibrosis caused by miR-129 overexpression. NEAT1 knockdown alleviated renal fibrosis in mice subjected to unilateral ureteral obstruction. In conclusion, NEAT1 sponged miR-129 to modulate the epithelial-mesenchymal transition process and inflammation response of renal fibrosis by regulation of collagen type I. Our study indicates a novel role in the regulation of renal fibrosis and provides a new potential treatment target for renal fibrosis.

scholarly journals Protein arginine methyltransferase 1 mediates renal fibroblast activation and fibrogenesis through activation of Smad3 signaling

2020 ◽  
Vol 318 (2) ◽  
pp. F375-F387 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu Zhu ◽  
Chao Yu ◽  
Shougang Zhuang
Keyword(s):  
Ureteral Obstruction ◽  
Renal Fibrosis ◽  
Collagen Type ◽  
Collagen Type I ◽  
Unilateral Ureteral Obstruction ◽  
Type I ◽  
Protein Arginine Methyltransferase ◽  
Arginine Methyltransferase ◽  
Fibroblast Activation ◽  
Protein Arginine Methyltransferase 1

Protein arginine methyltransferase 1 (PRMT1), which primarily causes asymmetric arginine methylation of histone and nonhistone proteins, has been found to activate gene expression and mediate multiple pathological processes. Its role in renal fibrosis, however, remains unclear. In the present study, we observed that PRMT1 and its specific epigenetic marker, asymmetric di-methylated histone 4 arginine 3 (H4R3Me2a), were highly expressed in cultured renal interstitial fibroblasts. Treatment of PRMT1 with AMI-1, a selective inhibitor of PRMT1, or silencing PRMT1 with siRNA inhibited serum-induced and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1-induced expression of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and collagen type I, two hallmarks of renal fibroblast activation, in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner. In a murine model of renal fibrosis induced by unilateral ureteral obstruction, PRMT1 expression and H4R3Me2a were also upregulated, which was coincident with increased expression of α-SMA, collagen type I, and fibronectin. Administration of AMI-1 reduced PRMT1 and H4R3Me2a expression, attenuated extracellular matrix protein deposition, and inhibited renal fibroblast activation and proliferation. Moreover, AMI-1 treatment inhibited Smad3 phosphorylation and TGF-β receptor I expression but prevented Smad7 downregulation both in the kidney after unilateral ureteral obstruction injury and in cultured renal interstitial fibroblasts exposed to TGF-β1. Collectively, these results demonstrate that PRMT1 may mediate renal fibroblast activation and renal fibrosis development through activation of the TGF-β/Smad3 signaling pathway. They also suggest that PRMT1 inhibition may be a potential therapeutic approach for the treatment of fibrotic kidney disease.

scholarly journals Deletion of Akt1 Promotes Kidney Fibrosis in a Murine Model of Unilateral Ureteral Obstruction

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Il Young Kim ◽  
Min Young Lee ◽  
Mi Wha Park ◽  
Eun Young Seong ◽  
Dong Won Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Murine Model ◽  
Ureteral Obstruction ◽  
Renal Fibrosis ◽  
Unilateral Ureteral Obstruction ◽  
Type I ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Tubular Cells ◽  
Renal Tubular Cells ◽  
Hk2 Cells

We investigated the role of Akt1, one of the three isoforms of Akt, in renal fibrosis using the murine model of unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO). We subjected wild type and Akt1−/− mice to UUO. The Akt1 gene was silenced in vitro using short hairpin RNA delivered via a lentiviral vector in human proximal tubular cells (HK2 cells) and kidney fibroblasts (NRK-49F cells). The obstructive kidneys of Akt1−/− mice showed more severe tubulointerstitial fibrosis than those of wild type mice. The expression of fibronectin and type I collagen was significantly increased in obstructed kidneys of Akt1−/− mice compared to those of wild type mice. The important finding was that the expression of transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ1) was significantly increased in the Akt1−/− mice compared to the wild type mice. The knockdown of Akt1 enhanced the expression of TGFβ1 in HK2 cells. Interestingly, the upregulation of TGFβ1 due to genetic knockdown of Akt1 was associated with activation of signal transducer and activator of transcript 3 (STAT3) independently of the Smad pathway in NRK-49F and HK2 cells. Immunohistochemical staining also showed that expression of phosphorylated STAT3 was more increased in Akt1−/− mice than in wild type mice after UUO. Additionally, the deletion of Akt1 led to apoptosis of the renal tubular cells in both in vivo and in vitro studies. Conclusively, these results suggest that the deletion of Akt1 may contribute to renal fibrosis via induction of the TGFβ1/STAT3 pathway in a murine model of UUO.

scholarly journals Vimentin expression is required for the development of EMT-related renal fibrosis following unilateral ureteral obstruction in mice

2018 ◽  
Vol 315 (4) ◽  
pp. F769-F780 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zheng Wang ◽  
Alex Divanyan ◽  
Frances L. Jourd’heuil ◽  
Robert D. Goldman ◽  
Karen M. Ridge ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wound Healing ◽  
Western Blotting ◽  
Ureteral Obstruction ◽  
Renal Fibrosis ◽  
Transforming Growth Factor ◽  
Unilateral Ureteral Obstruction ◽  
Cellular Migration ◽  
Mrna Levels ◽  
Vimentin Expression ◽  
Mesenchymal Transition

Most renal transplants ultimately fail secondary to chronic allograft nephropathy (CAN). Vimentin (vim) is a member of the intermediate filament family of proteins and has been shown to be important in the development of CAN. One of the pathways leading to chronic renal fibrosis after transplant is thought to be epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT). Even though vim expression is one of the main steps of EMT, it is unknown whether vim expression is required for EMT leading to renal fibrosis and allograft loss. To this end, the role of vim in renal fibrosis was determined via unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) in vim knockout mice (129 svs6 vim −/−). Following UUO, kidneys were recovered and analyzed via Western blotting, immunofluorescence, and transcriptomics. Cultured human proximal renal tubular (HK-2) cells were subjected to lentiviral-driven inhibition of vim expression and then treated with transforming growth factor (TGF)-β to undergo EMT. Immunoblotting as well as wound healing assays were used to determine development of EMT. Western blotting analyses of mice undergoing UUO reveal increased levels of vim soon after UUO. As expected, interstitial collagen deposition increased in control mice following UUO but decreased in vim −/− kidneys. Immunofluorescence analyses also revealed altered localization of β-catenin in vim −/− mice undergoing UUO without significant changes in mRNA levels. However, RNA sequencing revealed a decrease in β-catenin-dependent genes in vim −/− kidneys. Finally, vim-silenced HK-2 cell lines undergoing EMT were shown to have decreased cellular migration during wound healing. We conclude that vim inhibition decreases fibrosis following UUO by possibly altering β-catenin localization and downstream signaling.

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