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Chen H, You R, Guo J, Zhou W, Chew G, Devapragash N, Loh JZ, Gesualdo L, Li Y, Jiang Y, Tan ELS, Chen S, Pontrelli P, Pesce F, Behmoaras J, Zhang A, Petretto E. WWP2 Regulates Renal Fibrosis and the Metabolic Reprogramming of Profibrotic Myofibroblasts. J Am Soc Nephrol 2024:00001751-990000000-00269. [PMID: 38502123 DOI: 10.1681/asn.0000000000000328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Key Points
WWP2 expression is elevated in the tubulointerstitium of fibrotic kidneys and contributes to CKD pathogenesis and progression.WWP2 uncouples the profibrotic activation and cell proliferation in renal myofibroblasts.WWP2 controls mitochondrial respiration in renal myofibroblasts through the metabolic regulator peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha.
Background
Renal fibrosis is a common pathologic end point in CKD that is challenging to reverse, and myofibroblasts are responsible for the accumulation of a fibrillar collagen–rich extracellular matrix. Recent studies have unveiled myofibroblasts' diversity in proliferative and fibrotic characteristics, which are linked to different metabolic states. We previously demonstrated the regulation of extracellular matrix genes and tissue fibrosis by WWP2, a multifunctional E3 ubiquitin–protein ligase. Here, we investigate WWP2 in renal fibrosis and in the metabolic reprograming of myofibroblasts in CKD.
Methods
We used kidney samples from patients with CKD and WWP2-null kidney disease mice models and leveraged single-cell RNA sequencing analysis to detail the cell-specific regulation of WWP2 in fibrotic kidneys. Experiments in primary cultured myofibroblasts by bulk-RNA sequencing, chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing, metabolomics, and cellular metabolism assays were used to study the metabolic regulation of WWP2 and its downstream signaling.
Results
The tubulointerstitial expression of WWP2 was associated with fibrotic progression in patients with CKD and in murine kidney disease models. WWP2 deficiency promoted myofibroblast proliferation and halted profibrotic activation, reducing the severity of renal fibrosis in vivo. In renal myofibroblasts, WWP2 deficiency increased fatty acid oxidation and activated the pentose phosphate pathway, boosting mitochondrial respiration at the expense of glycolysis. WWP2 suppressed the transcription of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha (PGC-1α), a metabolic mediator of fibrotic response, and pharmacologic inhibition of PGC-1α partially abrogated the protective effects of WWP2 deficiency on myofibroblasts.
Conclusions
WWP2 regulates the metabolic reprogramming of profibrotic myofibroblasts by a WWP2-PGC-1α axis, and WWP2 deficiency protects against renal fibrosis in CKD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huimei Chen
- Programme in Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disorders (CVMD) and Centre for Computational Biology (CCB), Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore
| | - Ran You
- Department of Nephrology, Children's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Jing Guo
- Programme in Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disorders (CVMD) and Centre for Computational Biology (CCB), Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore
| | - Wei Zhou
- Department of Nephrology, Children's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Gabriel Chew
- Programme in Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disorders (CVMD) and Centre for Computational Biology (CCB), Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore
| | - Nithya Devapragash
- Programme in Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disorders (CVMD) and Centre for Computational Biology (CCB), Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore
| | - Jui Zhi Loh
- Programme in Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disorders (CVMD) and Centre for Computational Biology (CCB), Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore
| | - Loreto Gesualdo
- Nephrology, Dialysis and Transplantation Unit, Department of Precision and Regenerative Medicine and Ionian Area (DiMePRe-J), University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Yanwei Li
- Department of Nephrology, Children's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yuteng Jiang
- Department of Nephrology, Children's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Elisabeth Li Sa Tan
- Programme in Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disorders (CVMD) and Centre for Computational Biology (CCB), Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore
| | - Shuang Chen
- Department of Nephrology, Children's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
- School of Science, Institute for Big Data and Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Paola Pontrelli
- Nephrology, Dialysis and Transplantation Unit, Department of Precision and Regenerative Medicine and Ionian Area (DiMePRe-J), University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Francesco Pesce
- Division of Renal Medicine, Fatebenefratelli Isola Tiberina-Gemelli Isola, Rome, Italy
| | - Jacques Behmoaras
- Programme in Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disorders (CVMD) and Centre for Computational Biology (CCB), Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore
- Centre for Inflammatory Disease, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital, London, United Kingdom
| | - Aihua Zhang
- Department of Nephrology, Children's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Enrico Petretto
- Programme in Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disorders (CVMD) and Centre for Computational Biology (CCB), Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore
- School of Science, Institute for Big Data and Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China
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Li H, Li D, Ledru N, Xuanyuan Q, Wu H, Asthana A, Byers LN, Tullius SG, Orlando G, Waikar SS, Humphreys BD. Transcriptomic, epigenomic, and spatial metabolomic cell profiling redefines regional human kidney anatomy. Cell Metab 2024:S1550-4131(24)00061-5. [PMID: 38513647 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2024.02.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
A large-scale multimodal atlas that includes major kidney regions is lacking. Here, we employed simultaneous high-throughput single-cell ATAC/RNA sequencing (SHARE-seq) and spatially resolved metabolomics to profile 54 human samples from distinct kidney anatomical regions. We generated transcriptomes of 446,267 cells and chromatin accessibility profiles of 401,875 cells and developed a package to analyze 408,218 spatially resolved metabolomes. We find that the same cell type, including thin limb, thick ascending limb loop of Henle and principal cells, display distinct transcriptomic, chromatin accessibility, and metabolomic signatures, depending on anatomic location. Surveying metabolism-associated gene profiles revealed non-overlapping metabolic signatures between nephron segments and dysregulated lipid metabolism in diseased proximal tubule (PT) cells. Integrating multimodal omics with clinical data identified PLEKHA1 as a disease marker, and its in vitro knockdown increased gene expression in PT differentiation, suggesting possible pathogenic roles. This study highlights previously underrepresented cellular heterogeneity underlying the human kidney anatomy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haikuo Li
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Dian Li
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Nicolas Ledru
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Qiao Xuanyuan
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Haojia Wu
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Amish Asthana
- Department of Surgery, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston Salem, NC, USA
| | - Lori N Byers
- Department of Surgery, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston Salem, NC, USA
| | - Stefan G Tullius
- Division of Transplant Surgery and Transplant Surgery Research Laboratory, Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Giuseppe Orlando
- Department of Surgery, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston Salem, NC, USA
| | - Sushrut S Waikar
- Section of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Benjamin D Humphreys
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA; Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
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Khan MAH, Nolan B, Stavniichuk A, Merk D, Imig JD. Dual soluble epoxide hydrolase inhibitor - farnesoid X receptor agonist interventional treatment attenuates renal inflammation and fibrosis. Front Immunol 2024; 14:1269261. [PMID: 38235144 PMCID: PMC10791967 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1269261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Renal fibrosis associated with inflammation is a critical pathophysiological event in chronic kidney disease (CKD). We have developed DM509 which acts concurrently as a farnesoid X receptor agonist and a soluble epoxide hydrolase inhibitor and investigated DM509 efficacy as an interventional treatment using the unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) mouse model. Methods Male mice went through either UUO or sham surgery. Interventional DM509 treatment (10mg/kg/d) was started three days after UUO induction and continued for 7 days. Plasma and kidney tissue were collected at the end of the experimental protocol. Results UUO mice demonstrated marked renal fibrosis with higher kidney hydroxyproline content and collagen positive area. Interventional DM509 treatment reduced hydroxyproline content by 41% and collagen positive area by 65%. Renal inflammation was evident in UUO mice with elevated MCP-1, CD45-positive immune cell positive infiltration, and profibrotic inflammatory gene expression. DM509 treatment reduced renal inflammation in UUO mice. Renal fibrosis in UUO was associated with epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and DM509 treatment reduced EMT. UUO mice also had tubular epithelial barrier injury with increased renal KIM-1, NGAL expression. DM509 reduced tubular injury markers by 25-50% and maintained tubular epithelial integrity in UUO mice. Vascular inflammation was evident in UUO mice with 9 to 20-fold higher ICAM and VCAM gene expression which was reduced by 40-50% with DM509 treatment. Peritubular vascular density was reduced by 35% in UUO mice and DM509 prevented vascular loss. Discussion Interventional treatment with DM509 reduced renal fibrosis and inflammation in UUO mice demonstrating that DM509 is a promising drug that combats renal epithelial and vascular pathological events associated with progression of CKD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md. Abdul Hye Khan
- Drug Discovery Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Benjamin Nolan
- Drug Discovery Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Anna Stavniichuk
- Drug Discovery Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
- Department of Integrative Biology and Pharmacology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Daniel Merk
- Department of Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - John D. Imig
- Drug Discovery Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, United States
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Faria J, Calcat-I-Cervera S, Skovronova R, Broeksma BC, Berends AJ, Zaal EA, Bussolati B, O'Brien T, Mihăilă SM, Masereeuw R. Mesenchymal stromal cells secretome restores bioenergetic and redox homeostasis in human proximal tubule cells after ischemic injury. Stem Cell Res Ther 2023; 14:353. [PMID: 38072933 PMCID: PMC10712181 DOI: 10.1186/s13287-023-03563-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ischemia/reperfusion injury is the leading cause of acute kidney injury (AKI). The current standard of care focuses on supporting kidney function, stating the need for more efficient and targeted therapies to enhance repair. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) and their secretome, either as conditioned medium (CM) or extracellular vesicles (EVs), have emerged as promising options for regenerative therapy; however, their full potential in treating AKI remains unknown. METHODS In this study, we employed an in vitro model of chemically induced ischemia using antimycin A combined with 2-deoxy-D-glucose to induce ischemic injury in proximal tubule epithelial cells. Afterwards we evaluated the effects of MSC secretome, CM or EVs obtained from adipose tissue, bone marrow, and umbilical cord, on ameliorating the detrimental effects of ischemia. To assess the damage and treatment outcomes, we analyzed cell morphology, mitochondrial health parameters (mitochondrial activity, ATP production, mass and membrane potential), and overall cell metabolism by metabolomics. RESULTS Our findings show that ischemic injury caused cytoskeletal changes confirmed by disruption of the F-actin network, energetic imbalance as revealed by a 50% decrease in the oxygen consumption rate, increased oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and reduced cell metabolism. Upon treatment with MSC secretome, the morphological derangements were partly restored and ATP production increased by 40-50%, with umbilical cord-derived EVs being most effective. Furthermore, MSC treatment led to phenotype restoration as indicated by an increase in cell bioenergetics, including increased levels of glycolysis intermediates, as well as an accumulation of antioxidant metabolites. CONCLUSION Our in vitro model effectively replicated the in vivo-like morphological and molecular changes observed during ischemic injury. Additionally, treatment with MSC secretome ameliorated proximal tubule damage, highlighting its potential as a viable therapeutic option for targeting AKI.
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Affiliation(s)
- João Faria
- Division of Pharmacology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Universiteitsweg 99, 3584 CG, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Sandra Calcat-I-Cervera
- College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Science, School of Medicine, Regenerative Medicine Institute (REMEDI), University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Renata Skovronova
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | | | - Alinda J Berends
- Division of Pharmacology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Universiteitsweg 99, 3584 CG, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Esther A Zaal
- Division of Cell Biology, Metabolism and Cancer, Department of Biomolecular Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Benedetta Bussolati
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Timothy O'Brien
- College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Science, School of Medicine, Regenerative Medicine Institute (REMEDI), University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
- CÚRAM, SFI Research Centre for Medical Devices, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Silvia M Mihăilă
- Division of Pharmacology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Universiteitsweg 99, 3584 CG, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Rosalinde Masereeuw
- Division of Pharmacology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Universiteitsweg 99, 3584 CG, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
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Saade MC, Parikh SM. Energy Metabolism in CKD: Running Low on Fuel. Kidney360 2023; 4:1014-1016. [PMID: 37651663 PMCID: PMC10484351 DOI: 10.34067/kid.0000000000000231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Marie Christelle Saade
- Division of Nephrology , Department of Medicine , University of Texas Southwestern , Dallas , Texas
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