Transcriptional responses to tubule challenges

Substrate Stiffness Determines the Establishment of Apical-Basal Polarization in Renal Epithelial Cells but Not in Tubuloid-Derived Cells

Mechanical guidance of tissue morphogenesis is an emerging method of regenerative medicine that can be employed to steer functional kidney architecture for the purpose of bioartificial kidney design or renal tissue engineering strategies. In kidney morphogenesis, apical-basal polarization of renal epithelial cells is paramount for tubule formation and subsequent tissue functions like excretion and resorption. In kidney epithelium, polarization is initiated by integrin-mediated cell-matrix adhesion at the cell membrane. Cellular mechanobiology research has indicated that this integrin-mediated adhesion is responsive to matrix stiffness, raising the possibility to use matrix stiffness as a handle to steer cell polarization. Herein, we evaluate apical-basal polarization in response to 2D substates of different stiffness (1, 10, 50 kPa and glass) in Madin Darby Canine Kidney cells (MDCKs), a classic canine-derived cell model of epithelial polarization, and in tubuloid-derived cells, established from human primary cells derived from adult kidney tissue. Our results show that sub-physiological (1 kPa) substrate stiffness with low integrin-based adhesion induces polarization in MDCKs, while MDCKs on supraphysiological (>10 kPa) stiffness remain unpolarized. Inhibition of integrin, indeed, allows for polarization on the supraphysiological substrates, suggesting that increased cellular adhesion on stiff substrates opposes polarization. In contrast, tubuloid-derived cells do not establish apical-basal polarization on 2D substrates, irrespective of substrate stiffness, despite their ability to polarize in 3D environments. Further analysis implies that the 2D cultured tubuloid-derived cells have a diminished mechanosensitive capacity when presented with different substrate stiffnesses due to immature focal adhesions and the absence of a connection between focal adhesions and the cytoskeleton. Overall, this study demonstrates that apical-basal polarization is a complex process, where cell type, the extracellular environment, and both the mechanical and chemical aspects in cell-matrix interactions performed by integrins play a role.

More complete polarization of renal tubular epithelial cells by artificial urine

Cell polarization using Transwell is a common method employed to study renal tubular epithelial cells. However, this conventional protocol does not precisely recapitulate renal tubular epithelial cell phenotypes. In this study, we simulated renal physiological microenvironment by replacing serum-containing culture medium in upper chamber of the Transwell with physiologic artificial urine (AU) (to mimic renal tubular fluid), whereas the lower chamber still contained serum-containing medium (to mimic plasma-enriched renal interstitium). Comparing to the conventional protocol (control), the AU-assisted protocol offered more complete polarization of MDCK renal tubular cells as indicated by higher transepithelial electrical resistance (TER) and greater levels of tight junction (TJ) proteins (ZO-1 and occludin). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed greater densities of TJ and desmosome, narrower intercellular spaces, greater cell height, and longer microvilli in the AU-treated cells. Secretome analysis revealed that the AU-treated cells secreted greater proportion of the proteins matched to normal human urinary proteome via both classical and non-classical secretory pathways. Finally, modifying/omitting each component of AU (one at a time) followed by validation revealed that urea was responsible for such property of AU to improve cell polarization. These data indicate that replacing AU on the upper chamber of Transwell can improve or optimize renal cell polarization for more precise investigations of renal physiology and cell biology in vitro.

Hyperosmolality in the form of elevated NaCl but not urea causes DNA damage in murine kidney cells

This study demonstrates, by using neutral comet assay and pulsed field gel electrophoresis, that hyperosmotic stress causes DNA damage in the form of double strand breaks (dsb). Different solutes increase the rate of DNA dsb to different degrees at identical strengths of hyperosmolality. Hyperosmolality in the form of elevated NaCl (HNa) is most potent in this regard, whereas hyperosmolality in the form of elevated urea (HU) does not cause DNA dsb. The amount of DNA dsb increases significantly as early as 15 min after the onset of HNa. By using neutral comet and DNA ladder assays, we show that this rapid induction of DNA damage is not attributable to apoptosis. We demonstrate that renal inner medullary cells are able to efficiently repair hyperosmotic DNA damage within 48 h after exposure to hyperosmolality. DNA repair correlates with cell survival and is repressed by 25 microM LY294002, an inhibitor of DNA-activated protein kinases. These results strongly suggest that the hyperosmotic stress resistance of renal inner medullary cells is based not only on adaptations that protect cellular proteins from osmotic damage but, in addition, on adaptations that compensate DNA damage and maintain genomic integrity.

Cellular osmoregulation: beyond ion transport and cell volume

All cells are characterized by the expression of osmoregulatory mechanisms, although the degree of this expression is highly variable in different cell types even within a single organism. Cellular osmoregulatory mechanisms constitute a conserved set of adaptations that offset antagonistic effects of altered extracellular osmolality/environmental salinity on cell integrity and function. Cellular osmoregulation includes the regulation of cell volume and ion transport but it does not stop there. We know that organic osmolyte concentration, protein structure, cell turnover, and other cellular parameters are osmoregulated as well. In this brief review two important aspects of cellular osmoregulation are emphasized: 1) maintenance of genomic integrity, and 2) the central role of protein phosphorylation. Novel insight into these two aspects of cellular osmoregulation is illustrated based on two cell models, mammalian kidney inner medullary cells and teleost gill epithelial cells. Both cell types are highly hypertonicity stress-resistant and, therefore, well suited for the investigation of osmoregulatory mechanisms. Damage to the genome is discussed as a newly discovered aspect of hypertonic threat to cells and recent insights on how mammalian kidney cells deal with such threat are presented. Furthermore, the importance of protein phosphorylation as a core mechanism of osmosensory signal transduction is emphasized. In this regard, the potential roles of the 14-3-3 family of phospho-protein adaptor molecules for cellular osmoregulation are highlighted primarily based on work with fish gill epithelial cells. These examples were chosen for the reader to appreciate the numerous and highly specific interactions between stressor-specific and non-specific pathways that form an extensive cellular signaling network giving rise to adaptive compensation of hypertonicity. Furthermore, the example of 14-3-3 proteins illustrates that a single protein may participate in several pathways that are non-specific with regard to the type of stress and, at the same time, in stress-specific pathways to promote cell integrity and function during hypertonicity.

Hyperosmolality causes growth arrest of murine kidney cells. Induction of GADD45 and GADD153 by osmosensing via stress-activated protein kinase 2

Murine kidney cells of the inner medullary collecting duct (mIMCD) were exposed to either isosmotic (300 mosmol/kg) or hyperosmotic medium (isosmotic medium + 150 mM NaCl) after seeding. We determined cell numbers, total nucleic acid, DNA, and RNA contents in both groups every day for a total period of 7 days. Based on all 4 parameters it was evident that growth of mIMCD3 cells is arrested for approximately 18 h following onset of hyperosmolality. However, none of the parameters measured indicated cell death because of hyperosmolality. Growth curves of hyperosmotic samples were shifted compared with isosmotic samples showing a gap of 18 h but had the same shape otherwise. We demonstrated that at 24 and 48 h after onset of hyperosmolality, but not in isosmotic controls, growth arrest and DNA damage-inducible (GADD) proteins GADD45 and GADD153 are strongly induced. This result is consistent with growth arrest observed in hyperosmotic medium. We tested if mitogen- and stress-activated protein kinase (SAPK) cascades are involved in osmosignaling that leads to GADD45 and GADD153 induction. Using phosphospecific antibodies we showed that extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK), SAPK1 (JNK), and SAPK2 (p38) are hyperosmotically activated in mIMCD cells. Hyperosmotic GADD45 induction was significantly decreased by 37.5% following inhibition of the SAPK2 pathway, whereas it was significantly increased (65.2%) after inhibition of the ERK pathway. We observed similar, although less pronounced effects of SAPK2 and ERK inhibition on hyperosmotic GADD153 induction. In conclusion, we demonstrate that mIMCD cells arrest growth following hyperosmotic shock, that this causes strong induction of GADD45 and GADD153, that GADD induction is partially dependent on osmosignaling via SAPK2 and ERK, and that SAPK2 and ERK pathways have opposite effects on GADD expression.