scholarly journals Smad3 mediates ANG II-induced hypertensive kidney disease in mice

2012 ◽  
Vol 302 (8) ◽  
pp. F986-F997 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhen Liu ◽  
Xiao R. Huang ◽  
Hui Y. Lan

Although Smad3 is a key mediator for fibrosis, its functional role and mechanisms in hypertensive nephropathy remain largely unclear. This was examined in the present study in a mouse model of hypertension induced in Smad3 knockout (KO) and wild-type (WT) mice by subcutaneous angiotensin II infusion and in vitro in mesangial cells lacking Smad3. After angiotensin II infusion, both Smad3 KO and WT mice developed equally high levels of blood pressure. However, disruption of Smad3 prevented angiotensin II-induced kidney injury by lowering albuminuria and serum creatinine ( P < 0.01), inhibiting renal fibrosis such as collagen type I and IV, fibronectin, and α-SMA expression (all P < 0.01), and blocking renal inflammation including macrophage and T cell infiltration and upregulation of IL-1β, TNF-α, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 in vivo and in vitro (all P < 0.001). Further studies revealed that blockade of angiotensin II-induced renal transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 expression and inhibition of Smurf2-mediated degradation of renal Smad7 are mechanisms by which Smad3 KO mice were protected from angiotensin II-induced renal fibrosis and NF-κB-driven renal inflammation in vivo and in vitro. In conclusion, Smad3 is a key mediator of hypertensive nephropathy. Smad3 promotes Smurf2-dependent ubiquitin degradation of renal Smad7, thereby enhancing angiotensin II-induced TGF-β/Smad3-mediated renal fibrosis and NF-κB-driven renal inflammation. Results from this study suggest that inhibition of Smad3 or overexpression of Smad7 may be a novel therapeutic strategy for hypertensive nephropathy.

2020 ◽  
Vol 319 (2) ◽  
pp. F345-F357
Author(s):  
Yongzhen Zhao ◽  
Heng Zeng ◽  
Bo Liu ◽  
Xiaochen He ◽  
Jian-Xiong Chen

Angiotensin II (ANG II) is the key contributor to renal fibrosis and injury. The present study investigated the role of endothelium prolyl hydroxylase 2 (PHD2) in ANG II-mediated renal fibrosis and injury. In vitro, endothelial cells (ECs) were isolated from PHD2f/f control [wild-type (WT)] mice or PHD2 EC knockout (PHD2ECKO) mice. In vivo, WT and PHD2ECKO mice were infused with ANG II (1,000 ng·kg−1·min−1) for 28 days. Renal fibrosis, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and iron contents were measured. Knockout of PHD2 resulted in a significant increase in the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α and HIF-2α in ECs. Intriguingly, knockout of PHD2 significantly reduced expression of the ANG II type 1 receptor (AT1R) in ECs. WT mice infused with ANG II caused increases in renal fibrosis, ROS formation, and iron contents. ANG II treatment led to a downregulation of PHD1 expression and upregulation of HIF-1α and HIF-2α in the renal cortex and medulla. Knockout of PHD2 in EC blunted ANG II-induced downregulation of PHD1 expression. Furthermore, knockout of PHD2 in ECs attenuated ANG II-induced expression of HIF-1α, HIF-2α, transforming growth factor-β1, p47 phox, gp91 phox, heme oxygenase-1, and ferroportin. This was accompanied by a significant suppression of renal fibrosis, ROS formation, and iron accumulation. In summary, knockout of endothelial PHD2 suppressed the expression of AT1R in ECs and blunted ANG II-induced downregulation of PHD1 and upregulation of HIF-α in the kidney. Our study, for the first time, demonstrates a necessary role of endothelial PHD2 in ANG II-mediated renal fibrosis and injury.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nozomi Igarashi ◽  
Megumi Honjo ◽  
Makoto Aihara

AbstractWe examined the effects of mTOR inhibitors on the fibrotic response induced by transforming growth factor-beta2 (TGF-β2) in cultured human trabecular meshwork (hTM) cells. TGF-β2-induced expression of fibronectin, collagen type I, alpha 1 chain (COL1A1), and alpha-smooth muscle actin (αSMA) in hTM cells was examined in the presence or absence of mTOR inhibitors using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting, and immunohistochemistry. The migration rates of hTM cells were examined in the presence of TGF-β2 with or without mTOR inhibitors. An in vitro study showed that the expression of fibronectin, COL1A1, and αSMA was upregulated by TGF-β2 treatment of hTM cells; such upregulation was significantly suppressed by mTOR inhibitors. The inhibitors significantly reduced the migration rate of TGF-β2-stimulated hTM cells. mTOR inhibitors may usefully reduce the fibrotic response of hTM cells and we may have to explore if it is also effective in in vivo model.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhihuang Zheng ◽  
Chuanlei Li ◽  
Guangze Shao ◽  
Jinqing Li ◽  
Kexin Xu ◽  
...  

AbstractAcute kidney injury (AKI) is associated with significant morbidity and its chronic inflammation contributes to subsequent chronic kidney disease (CKD) development. Yes-associated protein (YAP), the major transcriptional coactivator of the Hippo pathway, has been shown associated with chronic inflammation, but its role and mechanism in AKI-CKD transition remain unclear. Here we aimed to investigate the role of YAP in AKI-induced chronic inflammation. Renal ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) was used to induce a mouse model of AKI-CKD transition. We used verteporfin (VP), a pharmacological inhibitor of YAP, to treat post-IRI mice for a period, and evaluated the influence of YAP inhibition on long-term outcomes of AKI. In our results, severe IRI led to maladaptive tubular repair, macrophages infiltration, and progressive fibrosis. Following AKI, the Hippo pathway was found significantly altered with YAP persistent activation. Besides, tubular YAP activation was associated with the maladaptive repair, also correlated with interstitial macrophage infiltration. Monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1) was found notably upregulated with YAP activation. Of note, pharmacological inhibition of YAP in vivo attenuated renal inflammation, including macrophage infiltration and MCP-1 overexpression. Consistently, in vitro oxygen-glucose deprivation and reoxygenation (OGD/R) induced YAP activation and MCP-1 overproduction whereas these could be inhibited by VP. In addition, we modulated YAP activity by RNA interference, which further confirmed YAP activation enhances MCP-1 expression. Together, we concluded tubular YAP activation with maladaptive repair exacerbates renal inflammation probably via promoting MCP-1 production, which contributes to AKI-CKD transition.


2002 ◽  
Vol 82 (1) ◽  
pp. 131-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard J. Roman

Recent studies have indicated that arachidonic acid is primarily metabolized by cytochrome P-450 (CYP) enzymes in the brain, lung, kidney, and peripheral vasculature to 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE) and epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) and that these compounds play critical roles in the regulation of renal, pulmonary, and cardiac function and vascular tone. EETs are endothelium-derived vasodilators that hyperpolarize vascular smooth muscle (VSM) cells by activating K+channels. 20-HETE is a vasoconstrictor produced in VSM cells that reduces the open-state probability of Ca2+-activated K+channels. Inhibitors of the formation of 20-HETE block the myogenic response of renal, cerebral, and skeletal muscle arterioles in vitro and autoregulation of renal and cerebral blood flow in vivo. They also block tubuloglomerular feedback responses in vivo and the vasoconstrictor response to elevations in tissue Po2both in vivo and in vitro. The formation of 20-HETE in VSM is stimulated by angiotensin II and endothelin and is inhibited by nitric oxide (NO) and carbon monoxide (CO). Blockade of the formation of 20-HETE attenuates the vascular responses to angiotensin II, endothelin, norepinephrine, NO, and CO. In the kidney, EETs and 20-HETE are produced in the proximal tubule and the thick ascending loop of Henle. They regulate Na+transport in these nephron segments. 20-HETE also contributes to the mitogenic effects of a variety of growth factors in VSM, renal epithelial, and mesangial cells. The production of EETs and 20-HETE is altered in experimental and genetic models of hypertension, diabetes, uremia, toxemia of pregnancy, and hepatorenal syndrome. Given the importance of this pathway in the control of cardiovascular function, it is likely that CYP metabolites of arachidonic acid contribute to the changes in renal function and vascular tone associated with some of these conditions and that drugs that modify the formation and/or actions of EETs and 20-HETE may have therapeutic benefits.


2012 ◽  
Vol 111 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra B Haudek ◽  
Jeff Crawford ◽  
Erin Reineke ◽  
Alberto A Allegre ◽  
George E Taffet ◽  
...  

Angiotensin-II (Ang-II) plays a key role in the development of cardiomyopathies, as it is associated with many conditions involving heart failure and pathologic hypertrophy. Using a murine model of Ang-II infusion, we found that Ang-II induced the synthesis of monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1) that mediated the uptake of CD34 + /CD45 + monocytic cells into the heart. These precursor cells differentiated into collagen-producing fibroblasts and were responsible for the Ang-II-induced development of reactive fibrosis. Preliminary in vitro data using our monocyte-to-fibroblast differentiation model, suggested that Ang-II required the presence of TNF to induce fibroblast maturation from monocytes. In vivo, they indicated that in mice deficient of both TNF receptors (TNFR1 and TNFR2), Ang-II-induced fibrosis was absent. We now assessed the hypothesis that specific TNFR1 signaling is necessary for Ang-II-mediated cardiac fibrosis. Mice deficient in either TNFR1 (TNFR1-KO) or TNFR2 (TNFR2-KO) were subjected to continuous infusion of Ang-II for 1 to 6 weeks (n=6-8/group). Compared to wild-type, we found that in TNFR1-KO, but not in TNFR2-KO mouse hearts, collagen deposition was attenuated, as was cardiac α-smooth muscle actin protein (a marker for activated fibroblasts). When we isolated viable cardiac fibroblasts and characterized them by flow cytometry, we found that Ang-II infusion in TNFR1-KO, but not in TNFR2-KO, resulted in a marked decrease of CD34 + /CD45 + cells. Quantitative RT-PCR demonstrated a striking reduction of type 1 and 3 collagen, as well of MCP-1 mRNA expression in TNFR1-KO mouse hearts. Further measurements of cardiovascular parameters indicated that TNFR1-KO animals developed lesser Ang-II-mediated LV remodeling, smaller changes in E-linear deceleration times/rates over time, and displayed a lower Tei index (a heart rate independent marker of cardiac function), indicating less stiffness in TNFR1-KO hearts compared to wild-type and TNFR2-KO hearts. The data suggest that Ang-II-dependent cardiac fibrosis requires TNF and its signaling through TNFR1 which enhances the induction of MCP-1 and uptake of monocytic fibroblast precursors that are associated with reactive fibrosis and cardiac remodeling and function.


2012 ◽  
Vol 303 (5) ◽  
pp. F757-F765 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hong-bo Xiao ◽  
Rui-hong Liu ◽  
Guang-hui Ling ◽  
Li Xiao ◽  
Yuan-chen Xia ◽  
...  

Heat shock protein (HSP)47 is a collagen-specific molecular chaperone that is essential for the biosynthesis of collagen molecules. It is likely that increased levels of HSP47 contribute to the assembly of procollagen and thereby cause an excessive accumulation of collagens in disease processes associated with fibrosis. Although HSP47 promotes renal fibrosis, the underlying mechanism and associated signaling events have not been clearly delineated. We examined the role of HSP47 in renal fibrosis using a rat unilateral ureteral obstruction model and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1-treated human proximal tubular epithelial (HK-2) cells. An upregulation of HSP47 in both in vivo and in vitro models was observed, which correlated with the increased synthesis of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins and expression of tissue-type plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI)-1. Blockade of HSP47 by short interfering RNA suppressed the expression of ECM proteins and PAI-1. In addition, TGF-β1-induced HSP47 expression in HK-2 cells was attenuated by ERK1/2 and JNK MAPK inhibitors. These data suggest that ERK1/2 and JNK signaling events are involved in modulating the expression of HSP47, the chaperoning effect of which on TGF-β1 would ultimately contribute to renal fibrosis by enhancing the synthesis and deposition of ECM proteins.


2004 ◽  
Vol 286 (1) ◽  
pp. F134-F143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shinya Mizuno ◽  
Toshikazu Nakamura

Diabetic nephropathy is now the leading cause of end-stage renal diseases, and glomerular sclerotic injury is an initial event that provokes renal dysfunction during processes of diabetes-linked kidney disease. Growing evidence shows that transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) plays a key role in this process, especially in eliciting hypertrophy and matrix overaccumulation. Thus it is important to find a ligand system to antagonize the TGF-β1-mediated pathogenesis under high-glucose conditions. Herein, we provide evidence that hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) targets mesangial cells, suppresses TGF-β1 production, and minimizes glomerular sclerotic changes, using streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice. In our murine model, glomerular sclerogenesis (such as tuft area expansion and collagen deposition) progressed between 6 and 10 wk after the induction of hyperglycemia, during a natural course of diabetic disease. Glomerular HGF expression levels in the diabetic kidney transiently increased but then declined below a basal level, with manifestation of glomerular sclerogenesis. When anti-HGF IgG was injected into mice for 2 wk (i.e., from weeks 4 to 6 after onset of hyperglycemia), these glomerular changes were significantly aggravated. When recombinant HGF was injected into the mice for 4 wk (i.e., between 6 and 10 wk following streptozotocin treatment), the progression of glomerular hypertrophy and sclerosis was almost completely inhibited, even though glucose levels remained unchanged (>500 mg/dl). Even more important, HGF repressed TGF-β1 production in glomerular mesangial cells even under hyperglycemic conditions both in vitro and in vivo. Consequently, not only albuminuria but also tubulointerstitial fibrogenesis were attenuated by HGF. Overall, HGF therapy inhibited the onset of renal dysfunction in the diabetic mice. On the basis of these findings, we wish to emphasize that HGF plays physiological and therapeutic roles in blocking renal fibrogenesis during a course of diabetic nephropathy.


2011 ◽  
Vol 22 (11) ◽  
pp. 1836-1844 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Fragiadaki ◽  
Tetsurou Ikeda ◽  
Abigail Witherden ◽  
Roger M Mason ◽  
David Abraham ◽  
...  

Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) is an inducer of type I collagen, and uncontrolled collagen production leads to tissue scarring and organ failure. Here we hypothesize that uncovering a molecular mechanism that enables us to switch off type I collagen may prove beneficial in treating fibrosis. For the first time, to our knowledge, we provide evidence that CUX1 acts as a negative regulator of TGF-β and potent inhibitor of type I collagen transcription. We show that CUX1, a CCAAT displacement protein, is associated with reduced expression of type I collagen both in vivo and in vitro. We show that enhancing the expression of CUX1 results in effective suppression of type I collagen. We demonstrate that the mechanism by which CUX1 suppresses type I collagen is through interfering with gene transcription. In addition, using an in vivo murine model of aristolochic acid (AA)-induced interstitial fibrosis and human AA nephropathy, we observe that CUX1 expression was significantly reduced in fibrotic tissue when compared to control samples. Moreover, silencing of CUX1 in fibroblasts from kidneys of patients with renal fibrosis resulted in increased type I collagen expression. Furthermore, the abnormal CUX1 expression was restored by addition of TGF-β via the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway. Collectively, our study demonstrates that modifications of CUX1 expression lead to aberrant expression of type I collagen, which may provide a molecular basis for fibrogenesis.


2015 ◽  
Vol 309 (8) ◽  
pp. C541-C550 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carla P. Carneiro de Morais ◽  
Juliano Z. Polidoro ◽  
Donna L. Ralph ◽  
Thaissa D. Pessoa ◽  
Maria Oliveira-Souza ◽  
...  

Physiological concentrations of angiotensin II (ANG II) upregulate the activity of Na+/H+ exchanger isoform 3 (NHE3) in the renal proximal tubule through activation of the ANG II type I (AT1) receptor/G protein-coupled signaling. This effect is key for maintenance of extracellular fluid volume homeostasis and blood pressure. Recent findings have shown that selective activation of the beta-arrestin-biased AT1 receptor signaling pathway induces diuresis and natriuresis independent of G protein-mediated signaling. This study tested the hypothesis that activation of this AT1 receptor/beta-arrestin signaling inhibits NHE3 activity in proximal tubule. To this end, we determined the effects of the compound TRV120023, which binds to the AT1R, blocks G-protein coupling, and stimulates beta-arrestin signaling on NHE3 function in vivo and in vitro. NHE3 activity was measured in both native proximal tubules, by stationary microperfusion, and in opossum proximal tubule (OKP) cells, by Na+-dependent intracellular pH recovery. We found that 10−7 M TRV120023 remarkably inhibited proximal tubule NHE3 activity both in vivo and in vitro. Additionally, stimulation of NHE3 by ANG II was completely suppressed by TRV120023 both in vivo as well as in vitro. Inhibition of NHE3 activity by TRV120023 was associated with a decrease in NHE3 surface expression in OKP cells and with a redistribution from the body to the base of the microvilli in the rat proximal tubule. These findings indicate that biased signaling of the beta-arrestin pathway through the AT1 receptor inhibits NHE3 activity in the proximal tubule at least in part due to changes in NHE3 subcellular localization.


Molecules ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (20) ◽  
pp. 3632 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuan-Feng Zou ◽  
Yan-Yun Zhang ◽  
Yu-Ping Fu ◽  
Kari Inngjerdingen ◽  
Berit Paulsen ◽  
...  

In this study, an acidic polysaccharide from Codonopsis pilosula Nannf. var. modesta (Nannf.) L. T. Shen (WCP-I) and its main fragment, WCP-Ia, obtained after pectinase digestion, were structurally elucidated and found to consist of a rhamnogalacturonan I (RG-I) region containing both arabinogalactan type I (AG-I) and type II (AG-II) as sidechains. They both expressed immunomodulating activity against Peyer’s patch cells. Endo-1,4-β-galactanase degradation gave a decrease of interleukine 6 (IL-6) production compared with native WCP-I and WCP-Ia, but exo-α-l-arabinofuranosidase digestion showed no changes in activity. This demonstrated that the stimulation activity partly disappeared with removal of β-d-(1→4)-galactan chains, proving that the AG-I side chain plays an important role in immunoregulation activity. WCP-Ia had a better promotion effect than WCP-I in vivo, shown through an increased spleen index, higher concentrations of IL-6, transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in serum, and a slight increment in the secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) and CD4+/CD8+ T lymphocyte ratio. These results suggest that β-d-(1→4)-galactan-containing chains in WCP-I play an essential role in the expression of immunomodulating activity. Combining all the results in this and previous studies, the intestinal immune system might be the target site of WCP-Ia.


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