scholarly journals Aberrant Activation of Notch1 Signaling in Glomerular Endothelium Induces Albuminuria

Author(s):  
Liqun Li ◽  
Qiang Liu ◽  
Tongyao Shang ◽  
Wei Song ◽  
Dongmei Xu ◽  
...  

Rationale: Glomerular capillaries are lined with a highly specialized fenestrated endothelium and contribute to the glomerular filtration barrier (GFB). The Notch signaling pathway is involved in regulation of GFB, but its role in glomerular endothelium has not been investigated due to the embryonic lethality of animal models with genetic modification of Notch pathway components in the endothelium. Objective: To determine the effects of aberrant activation of the Notch signaling in glomerular endothelium and the underlying molecular mechanisms. Methods and Results: We established the ZEG-Notch1 intracellular domain (NICD1)/Tie2-tTA/Tet-O-Cre transgenic mouse model to constitutively activate Notch1 signaling in endothelial cells of adult mice. The triple transgenic mice developed severe albuminuria with significantly decreased VE-cadherin expression in the glomerular endothelium. In vitro studies showed that either NICD1 lentiviral infection or treatment with Notch ligand DLL4 markedly reduced VE-cadherin expression and increased monolayer permeability of human renal glomerular endothelial cells (HRGECs). In addition, Notch1 activation or gene knockdown of VE-cadherin reduced the glomerular endothelial glycocalyx. Further investigation demonstrated that activated Notch1 suppression of VE-cadherin was through the transcription factors SNAI1 and ERG, which bind to the -373 E-box and the -134/-118 ETS element of the VE-cadherin promoter, respectively. Conclusions: Our results reveal novel regulatory mechanisms whereby endothelial Notch1 signaling dictates the level of VE-cadherin through the transcription factors SNAI1 and ERG, leading to dysfunction of GFB and induction of albuminuria.

Circulation ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 118 (suppl_18) ◽  
Author(s):  
Virginia Guarani ◽  
Franck Dequiedt ◽  
Andreas M Zeiher ◽  
Stefanie Dimmeler ◽  
Michael Potente

The Notch signaling pathway is a versatile regulator of cell fate decisions and plays an essential role for embryonic and postnatal vascular development. As only modest differences in Notch pathway activity suffice to determine dramatic differences in blood vessel development, this pathway is tightly regulated by a variety of molecular mechanisms. Reversible acetylation has emerged as an important post-translational modification of several non-histone proteins, which are targeted by histone deacetylases (HDACs). Here, we report that specifically the Notch1 intracellular domain (NICD) is itself an acetylated protein and that its acetylation level is tightly regulated by the SIRT1 deacetylase, which we have previously identified as a key regulator of endothelial angiogenic functions during vascular growth. Coexpression of NICD with histone acetyltransferases such as p300 or PCAF induced a dose- and time-dependent acetylation of NICD. Blocking HDAC activity using the class III HDAC inhibitor nicotinamid (NAM), but not the class I/II HDAC inhibior trichostatin A, resulted in a significant increase of NICD acetylation suggesting that NICD is targetd by class III HDACs for deacetylation. Among the class III HDACs with deacetylase activity (SIRT1, 2, 3, 5), knock down of specifically SIRT1 resulted in enhanced acetylation of NICD. Moreover, wild type SIRT1, but not a catalytically inactive mutant catalyzed the deacetylation of NICD in a nicotinamid-dependent manner. SIRT1, but SIRT2, SIRT3 or SIRT5, associated with NICD through its catalytic domain demonstrating that SIRT1 is a direct NICD deacetylase. Enhancing NICD acetylation by either overexpression of p300 or inhibition of SIRT1 activity using NAM or RNAi-mediated knock down resulted in enhanced NICD protein stability by blocking its ubiquitin-mediated degradation. Consistent with these results, loss of SIRT1 amplified Notch target gene expression in endothelial cells in response to NICD overexpression or treatment with the Notch ligand Dll4. In summary, our results identify reversible acetylation of NICD as a novel molecular mechanism to control Notch signaling and suggest that deacetylation of NICD by SIRT1 plays a key role in the dynamic regulation of Notch signaling in endothelial cells.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. e001203
Author(s):  
Rajkishor Nishad ◽  
Prajakta Meshram ◽  
Ashish Kumar Singh ◽  
G Bhanuprakash Reddy ◽  
Anil Kumar Pasupulati

IntroductionAdvanced glycation end-products (AGEs) are implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy (DN). Previous studies have shown that AGEs contribute to glomerulosclerosis and proteinuria. Podocytes, terminally differentiated epithelial cells of the glomerulus and the critical component of the glomerular filtration barrier, express the receptor for AGEs (RAGE). Podocytes are susceptible to severe injury during DN. In this study, we investigated the mechanism by which AGEs contribute to podocyte injury.Research design and methodsGlucose-derived AGEs were prepared in vitro. Reactivation of Notch signaling was examined in AGE-treated human podocytes (in vitro) and glomeruli from AGE-injected mice (in vivo) by quantitative reverse transcription-PCR, western blot analysis, ELISA and immunohistochemical staining. Further, the effects of AGEs on epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) of podocytes and expression of fibrotic markers were evaluated.ResultsUsing human podocytes and a mouse model, we demonstrated that AGEs activate Notch1 signaling in podocytes and provoke EMT. Inhibition of RAGE and Notch1 by FPS-ZM1 (N-Benzyl-4-chloro-N-cyclohexylbenzamide) and DAPT (N-[N-(3,5-Difluorophenacetyl)-L-alanyl]-S-phenyl glycine t-butylester), respectively, abrogates AGE-induced Notch activation and EMT. Inhibition of RAGE and Notch1 prevents AGE-induced glomerular fibrosis, thickening of the glomerular basement membrane, foot process effacement, and proteinuria. Furthermore, kidney biopsy sections from people with DN revealed the accumulation of AGEs in the glomerulus with elevated RAGE expression and activated Notch signaling.ConclusionThe data suggest that AGEs activate Notch signaling in the glomerular podocytes. Pharmacological inhibition of Notch signaling by DAPT ameliorates AGE-induced podocytopathy and fibrosis. Our observations suggest that AGE-induced Notch reactivation in mature podocytes could be a novel mechanism in glomerular disease and thus could represent a novel therapeutic target.


2008 ◽  
Vol 183 (1) ◽  
pp. 117-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiara Collesi ◽  
Lorena Zentilin ◽  
Gianfranco Sinagra ◽  
Mauro Giacca

The identification of the molecular mechanisms controlling cardiomyocyte proliferation during the embryonic, fetal, and early neonatal life appears of paramount interest in regard to exploiting this information to promote cardiac regeneration. Here, we show that the proliferative potential of neonatal rat cardiomyocytes is powerfully stimulated by the sustained activation of the Notch pathway. We found that Notch1 is expressed in proliferating ventricular immature cardiac myocytes (ICMs) both in vitro and in vivo, and that the number of Notch1-positive cells in the heart declines with age. Notch1 expression in ICMs paralleled the expression of its Jagged1 ligand on non-myocyte supporting cells. The inhibition of Notch signaling in ICMs blocked their proliferation and induced apoptosis; in contrast, its activation by Jagged1 or by the constitutive expression of its activated form using an adeno-associated virus markedly stimulated proliferative signaling and promoted ICM expansion. Maintenance or reactivation of Notch signaling in cardiac myocytes might represent an interesting target for innovative regenerative therapy.


2012 ◽  
Vol 111 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yohko Yoshida ◽  
Tohru Minamino

Accumulation of senescent vascular cells occurs in aged vessels, which leads to an increase of inflammation and a decline of regenerative potential, thereby promoting vascular dysfunction and atherosclerosis. However, the molecular mechanisms of these age-related changes remain unclear. The Notch pathway is a highly conserved signaling that controls cell fate determination and differentiation during the development of various tissues. In adults, Notch signaling has been reported to be essential for neovascularization and is implicated with the age-associated conditions such as cancer, neuronal disorder and impaired regeneration of skeletal muscle. Here, we show that Notch signaling has a crucial role in endothelial cell senescence. We found that inhibition of Notch signaling, using short hairpin RNA (shRNA) targeting Notch1, reduced the maximum population doublings of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC), increased the activity of senescence-associated beta-galactosidase, and up-regulated the expression of aging-associated molecules such as p53, p21, and p16. Knockdown of the Notch ligand Jagged1 resulted in attenuation of Notch signaling, thereby inducing premature senescence in a way similar to knockdown of Notch1. In contrast, over-expression of Notch1 or Jagged1 extended the replicative lifespan of HUVEC and decreased the expression of aging-associated molecules. To elucidate the mechanism how inhibition of Notch signaling induces premature senescence in endothelial cells, we examined expression of various molecules by microarray analysis, and found that the expression of Id1 (inhibitor of DNA binding 1) and MKP1 (MAP kinase phosphatase 1) was significantly down-regulated by knockdown of Notch. Over-expression of Id1 improved Notch1 inhibition-induced premature senescence, which is associated with a decrease of p16 expression. Likewise, treatment with SB203580, an inhibitor of p38 MAPK, extended lifespan of Notch-deleted endothelial cells along with down-regulation of p16. These results suggest that Notch signaling and the downstream molecules (Id1 and p38) regulate endothelial cell senescence presumably via a p16-dependent pathway, and may be a new target of the therapy for age-associated vascular diseases.


2014 ◽  
Vol 115 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ha-Rim Seo ◽  
Hyo Eun Jeong ◽  
Hyung Joon Joo ◽  
Seung-Cheol Choi ◽  
Jong-Ho Kim ◽  
...  

Background: Human body contains many kinds of different type of endothelial cells (EC). However, cellular difference of their angiogenic potential has been hardly understood. We compared in vitro angiogenic potential between arterial EC and venous EC and investigated its underlying molecular mechanisms. Method: Used human aortic endothelial cells (HAEC) which was indicated from arterial EC and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) indicated from venous EC. To explore angiogenic potential in detail, we adopted a novel 3D microfluidic angiogenesis assay system, which closely mimic in vivo angiogenesis. Results: In 3D microfluidic angiogenesis assay system, HAEC demonstrated stronger angiogenic potential compared to HUVEC. HAEC maintained its profound angiogenic property under different biophysical conditions. In mRNA microarray sorted on up- regulated or down-regulated genes, HAEC demonstrated significantly higher expression of gastrulation brain homeobox 2 (GBX2), fibroblast grow factor 2 (FGF2), FGF5 and collagen 8a1. Angiogenesis-related protein assay revealed that HAEC has higher secretion of endogenous FGF2 than HUVEC. HAEC has only up-regulated FGF2 and FGF5 in this part of FGF family. Furthermore, FGF5 expression under vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) stimulation was higher in HAEC compared to HUVEC although VEGF-A augmented FGF5 expression in both HAEC and HUVEC. Those data suggested that FGF5 expression in both HAEC and HUVEC is partially dependent to VEGF-A stimulate. HUVEC and HAEC reduced vascular density after FGF2 and FGF5 siRNA treat. Conclusion: HAEC has stronger angiogenic potential than HUVEC through up-regulation of endogenous FGF2 and FGF5 expression


Author(s):  
Yifan Xia ◽  
Yunfei Li ◽  
Wasem Khalid ◽  
Marom Bikson ◽  
Bingmei M. Fu

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive physical therapy to treat many psychiatric disorders and to enhance memory and cognition in healthy individuals. Our recent studies showed that tDCS with the proper dosage and duration can transiently enhance the permeability (P) of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in rat brain to various sized solutes. Based on the in vivo permeability data, a transport model for the paracellular pathway of the BBB also predicted that tDCS can transiently disrupt the endothelial glycocalyx (EG) and the tight junction between endothelial cells. To confirm these predictions and to investigate the structural mechanisms by which tDCS modulates P of the BBB, we directly quantified the EG and tight junctions of in vitro BBB models after DCS treatment. Human cerebral microvascular endothelial cells (hCMECs) and mouse brain microvascular endothelial cells (bEnd3) were cultured on the Transwell filter with 3 μm pores to generate in vitro BBBs. After confluence, 0.1–1 mA/cm2 DCS was applied for 5 and 10 min. TEER and P to dextran-70k of the in vitro BBB were measured, HS (heparan sulfate) and hyaluronic acid (HA) of EG was immuno-stained and quantified, as well as the tight junction ZO-1. We found disrupted EG and ZO-1 when P to dextran-70k was increased and TEER was decreased by the DCS. To further investigate the cellular signaling mechanism of DCS on the BBB permeability, we pretreated the in vitro BBB with a nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor, L-NMMA. L-NMMA diminished the effect of DCS on the BBB permeability by protecting the EG and reinforcing tight junctions. These in vitro results conform to the in vivo observations and confirm the model prediction that DCS can disrupt the EG and tight junction of the BBB. Nevertheless, the in vivo effects of DCS are transient which backup its safety in the clinical application. In conclusion, our current study directly elucidates the structural and signaling mechanisms by which DCS modulates the BBB permeability.


Author(s):  
Tais Novaki Ribeiro ◽  
Lina Maria Delgado-García ◽  
Marimelia A. Porcionatto

After a brain lesion, highly specialized cortical astrocytes react, supporting the closure or replacement of the damaged tissue, but fail to regulate neural plasticity. Growing evidence indicates that repair response leads astrocytes to reprogram, acquiring a partially restricted regenerative phenotype in vivo and neural stem cells (NSC) hallmarks in vitro. However, the molecular factors involved in astrocyte reactivity, the reparative response, and their relation to adult neurogenesis are poorly understood and remain an area of intense investigation in regenerative medicine. In this context, we addressed the role of Notch1 signaling and the effect of Galectin-3 (Gal3) as underlying molecular candidates involved in cortical astrocyte response to injury. Notch signaling is part of a specific neurogenic microenvironment that maintains NSC and neural progenitors, and Gal3 has a preferential spatial distribution across the cortex and has a central role in the proliferative capacity of reactive astrocytes. We report that in vitro scratch-reactivated cortical astrocytes from C57Bl/6J neonatal mice present nuclear Notch1 intracellular domain (NICD1), indicating Notch1 activation. Colocalization analysis revealed a subpopulation of reactive astrocytes at the lesion border with colocalized NICD1/Jagged1 complexes compared with astrocytes located far from the border. Moreover, we found that Gal3 increased intracellularly, in contrast to its extracellular localization in non-reactive astrocytes, and NICD1/Gal3 pattern distribution shifted from diffuse to vesicular upon astrocyte reactivation. In vitro, Gal3–/– reactive astrocytes showed abolished Notch1 signaling at the lesion core. Notch1 receptor, its ligands (Jagged1 and Delta-like1), and Hes5 target gene were upregulated in C57Bl/6J reactive astrocytes, but not in Gal3–/– reactive astrocytes. Finally, we report that Gal3–/– mice submitted to a traumatic brain injury model in the somatosensory cortex presented a disrupted response characterized by the reduced number of GFAP reactive astrocytes, with smaller cell body perimeter and decreased NICD1 presence at the lesion core. These results suggest that Gal3 might be essential to the proper activation of Notch signaling, facilitating the cleavage of Notch1 and nuclear translocation of NICD1 into the nucleus of reactive cortical astrocytes. Additionally, we hypothesize that reactive astrocyte response could be dependent on Notch1/Jagged1-Hes5 signaling activation following brain injury.


Author(s):  
Liping Su ◽  
Xiaocen Kong ◽  
Sze Jie Loo ◽  
Yu Gao ◽  
Jean-Paul Kovalik ◽  
...  

Induced pluripotent stem cells derived cells (iPSCs) not only can be used for personalized cell transfer therapy, but also can be used for modeling diseases for drug screening and discovery in vitro. Although prior studies have characterized the function of rodent iPSCs derived endothelial cells (ECs) in diabetes or metabolic syndrome, feature phenotypes are largely unknown in hiPSC-ECs from patients with diabetes. Here, we used hiPSC lines from patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and differentiated them into ECs (dia-hiPSC-ECs). We found that dia-hiPSC-ECs had disrupted glycine homeostasis, increased senescence, and impaired mitochondrial function and angiogenic potential as compared with healthy hiPSC-ECs. These signature phenotypes will be helpful to establish dia-hiPSC-ECs as models of endothelial dysfunction for understanding molecular mechanisms of disease and for identifying and testing new targets for the treatment of endothelial dysfunction in diabetes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Solvey Pollmann ◽  
David Scharnetzki ◽  
Dominique Manikowski ◽  
Malte Lenders ◽  
Eva Brand

Fabry disease (FD) is an X-linked multisystemic lysosomal storage disease due to a deficiency of α-galactosidase A (GLA/AGAL). Progressive cellular accumulation of the AGAL substrate globotriaosylceramide (Gb3) leads to endothelial dysfunction. Here, we analyzed endothelial function in vivo and in vitro in an AGAL-deficient genetic background to identify the processes underlying this small vessel disease. Arterial stiffness and endothelial function was prospectively measured in five males carrying GLA variants (control) and 22 FD patients under therapy. AGAL-deficient endothelial cells (EA.hy926) and monocytes (THP1) were used to analyze endothelial glycocalyx structure, function, and underlying inflammatory signals. Glycocalyx thickness and small vessel function improved significantly over time (p<0.05) in patients treated with enzyme replacement therapy (ERT, n=16) and chaperones (n=6). AGAL-deficient endothelial cells showed reduced glycocalyx and increased monocyte adhesion (p<0.05). In addition, increased expression of angiopoietin-2, heparanase and NF-κB was detected (all p<0.05). Incubation of wild-type endothelial cells with pathological globotriaosylsphingosine concentrations resulted in comparable findings. Treatment of AGAL-deficient cells with recombinant AGAL (p<0.01), heparin (p<0.01), anti-inflammatory (p<0.001) and antioxidant drugs (p<0.05), and a specific inhibitor (razuprotafib) of angiopoietin-1 receptor (Tie2) (p<0.05) improved glycocalyx structure and endothelial function in vitro. We conclude that chronic inflammation, including the release of heparanases, appears to be responsible for the degradation of the endothelial glycocalyx and may explain the endothelial dysfunction in FD. This process is partially reversible by FD-specific and anti-inflammatory treatment, such as targeted protective Tie2 treatment.


Blood ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 103 (9) ◽  
pp. 3465-3473 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shane C. McAllister ◽  
Scott G. Hansen ◽  
Rebecca A. Ruhl ◽  
Camilo M. Raggo ◽  
Victor R. DeFilippis ◽  
...  

Abstract Kaposi sarcoma (KS) is the most common AIDS-associated malignancy and is characterized by angiogenesis and the presence of spindle cells. Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is consistently associated with all clinical forms of KS, and in vitro infection of dermal microvascular endothelial cells (DMVECs) with KSHV recapitulates many of the features of KS, including transformation, spindle cell proliferation, and angiogenesis. To study the molecular mechanisms of KSHV pathogenesis, we compared the protein expression profiles of KSHV-infected and uninfected DMVECs. This comparison revealed that heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), the inducible enzyme responsible for the rate-limiting step in heme catabolism, was up-regulated in infected endothelial cells. Recent evidence suggests that the products of heme catabolism have important roles in endothelial cell biology, including apoptosis and angiogenesis. Here we show that HO-1 mRNA and protein are up-regulated in KSHV-infected cultures. Comparison of oral and cutaneous AIDS-KS tissues with normal tissues revealed that HO-1 mRNA and protein were also up-regulated in vivo. Increased HO-1 enzymatic activity in vitro enhanced proliferation of KSHV-infected DMVECs in the presence of free heme. Treatment with the HO-1 inhibitor chromium mesoporphyrin IX abolished heme-induced proliferation. These data suggest that HO-1 is a potential therapeutic target for KS that warrants further study. (Blood. 2004;103: 3465-3473)


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