American journal of physiology. Renal physiology最新文献

{"title":"Regulating distal nephron functions and salt sensitivity.","authors":"Kohei Ueda, Tatsuo Shimosawa","doi":"10.1152/ajprenal.00103.2024","DOIUrl":"10.1152/ajprenal.00103.2024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This review highlights the molecular basis of salt sensitivity in hypertension, with a focus on the regulation of sodium transport in the distal nephron. Sodium reabsorption in this region is often linked to the actions of aldosterone, although in recent years numerous findings have been reported on the aldosterone-independent pathway of acquiring salt sensitivity by potassium deficiency or potassium loading. The key to this discussion is the interplay, through extracellular potassium concentration, between the first part of the tubules expressing the Na⁺-Cl^- cotransporter (NCC) and the second part expressing the epithelial Na⁺ channel (ENaC). The molecular pathways such as with-no-lysine 1 (WNK)-STE20/SPS1-related proline-alanine-rich kinase (SPAK)/oxidative stress-responsive kinase 1 (OSR1) signaling, Kelch-like family member 3 (KLHL3)-cullin 3 (CUL3) complex, protein phosphatases, and mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 2 (mTORC2)-Nedd4L pathway are described as the mechanism by which salt sensitivity on blood pressure is acquired in response to changes in physiological conditions including potassium depletion or loading. This review highlights the potential for targeting these molecular pathways to develop novel therapeutic strategies for the treatment of salt-sensitive hypertension, the mechanism of which remains to be elucidated.</p>","PeriodicalId":93867,"journal":{"name":"American journal of physiology. Renal physiology","volume":" ","pages":"F566-F580"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141725274","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Oxysterol-binding protein-like 7 deficiency leads to ER stress-mediated apoptosis in podocytes and proteinuria.","authors":"Joanne Duara, Maria Torres, Margaret Gurumani, Judith Molina David, Rachel Njeim, Jin-Ju Kim, Alla Mitrofanova, Mengyuan Ge, Alexis Sloan, Janina Müller-Deile, Mario Schiffer, Sandra Merscher, Alessia Fornoni","doi":"10.1152/ajprenal.00319.2023","DOIUrl":"10.1152/ajprenal.00319.2023","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with renal lipid dysmetabolism among a variety of other pathways. We recently demonstrated that oxysterol-binding protein-like 7 (OSBPL7) modulates the expression and function of ATP-binding cassette subfamily A member 1 (ABCA1) in podocytes, a specialized type of cell essential for kidney filtration. Drugs that target OSBPL7 lead to improved renal outcomes in several experimental models of CKD. However, the role of OSBPL7 in podocyte injury remains unclear. Using mouse models and cellular assays, we investigated the influence of OSBPL7 deficiency on podocytes. We demonstrated that reduced renal OSBPL7 levels as observed in two different models of experimental CKD are linked to increased podocyte apoptosis, primarily mediated by heightened endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Although as expected, the absence of OSBPL7 also resulted in lipid dysregulation (increased lipid droplets and triglycerides content), OSBPL7 deficiency-related lipid dysmetabolism did not contribute to podocyte injury. Similarly, we demonstrated that the decreased autophagic flux we observed in OSBPL7-deficient podocytes was not the mechanistic link between OSBPL7 deficiency and apoptosis. In a complementary zebrafish model, osbpl7 knockdown was sufficient to induce proteinuria and morphological damage to the glomerulus, underscoring its physiological relevance. Our study sheds new light on the mechanistic link between OSBPL7 deficiency and podocyte injury in glomerular diseases associated with CKD, and it strengthens the role of OSBPL7 as a novel therapeutic target.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> OSBPL7 and ER stress comprise a central mechanism in glomerular injury. This study highlights a crucial link between OSBPL7 deficiency and ER stress in CKD. OSBPL7 deficiency causes ER stress, leading to podocyte apoptosis. There is a selective effect on lipid homeostasis in that OSBPL7 deficiency affects lipid homeostasis, altering cellular triglyceride but not cholesterol content. The interaction of ER stress and apoptosis supports that ER stress, not reduced autophagy, is the main driver of apoptosis in OSBPL7-deficient podocytes.</p>","PeriodicalId":93867,"journal":{"name":"American journal of physiology. Renal physiology","volume":" ","pages":"F340-F350"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11460532/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141499914","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Investigating FSGS-like injury in zebrafish larvae by nifurpirinol: efficacy and molecular insight.","authors":"Marianne Klawitter, Francescapaola Mattias, Felix Kliewe, Elke Hammer, Uwe Völker, Stefan Simm, Florian Siegerist, Sophie Daniel, Maximilian Schindler, Nicole Endlich","doi":"10.1152/ajprenal.00116.2024","DOIUrl":"10.1152/ajprenal.00116.2024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Identifying effective drugs for focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) treatment holds significant importance. Our high-content drug screening on zebrafish larvae relies on nitroreductase/metronidazole (NTR/MTZ)-induced podocyte ablation to generate FSGS-like injury. A crucial factor for successful drug screenings is minimizing variability in injury induction. For this, we introduce nifurpirinol (NFP) as a more reliable prodrug for targeted podocyte depletion. NFP showed a 2.3-fold increase in efficiency at concentrations 1,600-fold lower compared with MTZ-mediated injury induction. Integration into the screening workflow validated its suitability for the high-content drug screening. The presence of crucial FSGS hallmarks, such as podocyte foot process effacement, proteinuria, and activation of parietal epithelial cells, was observed. After the isolation of the glomeruli from the larvae, we identified essential pathways by proteomic analysis. This study shows that NFP serves as a highly effective prodrug to induce the FSGS-like disease in zebrafish larvae and is well-suited for a high-content drug screening to identify new candidates for the treatment of FSGS.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> This research investigated the use of nifurpirinol in nanomolar amounts as a prodrug to reliably induce focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS)-like damage in transgenic zebrafish larvae. Through proteomic analysis of isolated zebrafish glomeruli, we were further able to identify proteins that are significantly regulated after the manifestation of FSGS. These results are expected to expand our knowledge of the pathomechanism of FSGS.</p>","PeriodicalId":93867,"journal":{"name":"American journal of physiology. Renal physiology","volume":" ","pages":"F463-F475"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141592353","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Inducible deletion of the prostaglandin EP3 receptor in kidney tubules of male and female mice has no major effect on water homeostasis.","authors":"Cristina Esteva-Font, Frank Geurts, Toke P K Hansen, Ewout J Hoorn, Robert A Fenton","doi":"10.1152/ajprenal.00146.2024","DOIUrl":"10.1152/ajprenal.00146.2024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂) receptor EP3 has been detected in the thick ascending limb (TAL) and the collecting duct of the kidney, where its actions are proposed to inhibit water reabsorption. However, EP3 is also expressed in other cell types, including vascular endothelial cells. The aim here was to determine the contribution of EP3 in renal water handling in male and female adult mice by phenotyping a novel mouse model with doxycycline-dependent deletion of EP3 throughout the kidney tubule (EP3^-/- mice). RNAscope demonstrated that EP3 was highly expressed in the cortical and medullary TAL of adult mice. Compared with controls EP3 mRNA expression was reduced by >80% in whole kidney (RT-qPCR) and nondetectable (RNAscope) in renal tubules of EP3^-/- mice. Under basal conditions, there were no significant differences in control and EP3^-/- mice of both sexes in food and water intake, body weight, urinary output, or clinical biochemistries. No differences were detectable between genotypes in handling of an acute water load or in their response to the vasopressin analog 1-deamino-8-d-arginine-vasopressin (dDAVP). No differences in water handling were observed when PGE₂ production was enhanced using 1% NaCl load. Expression of proteins involved in kidney water handling was not different between genotypes. This study demonstrates that renal tubular EP3 is not essential for body fluid homeostasis in males or females, even when PGE₂ levels are high. The mouse model is a novel tool for examining the role of EP3 in kidney function independently of potential developmental abnormalities or systemic effects.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> The prostanoid EP3 receptor is proposed to play a key role in the kidney tubule and antagonize the effects of vasopressin on aquaporin-mediated water reabsorption. Here, we phenotyped a kidney tubule-specific inducible knockout mouse model of the EP3 receptor. Our major finding is that, even under physiological stress, tubular EP3 plays no detectable role in renal water or solute handling. This suggests that other EP receptors must be important for renal salt and water handling.</p>","PeriodicalId":93867,"journal":{"name":"American journal of physiology. Renal physiology","volume":" ","pages":"F504-F518"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141499911","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"TRPV1 and mast cell involvement in repeated variate stress-induced urinary bladder dysfunction in adult female mice.","authors":"Amanda B Sidwell, Beatrice M Girard, Susan E Campbell, Margaret A Vizzard","doi":"10.1152/ajprenal.00125.2024","DOIUrl":"10.1152/ajprenal.00125.2024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The etiology of interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) is unknown but likely multifactorial. IC/BPS symptoms can be exacerbated by psychological stress, but underlying mechanisms remain to be defined. Transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) channels, expressed on nerve fibers, have been implicated in bladder dysfunction and colonic hypersensitivity with stress in rodents. Histamine/H1R activation of TRPV1⁺ nerves increases bladder afferent fiber sensitivity to distension. TRPV1 channels are also expressed on mast cells, previously implicated in contributing to IC/BPS etiology and symptoms. We have examined the contribution of TRPV1 and mast cells to bladder dysfunction after repeated variate stress (RVS). RVS increased (<i>P</i> ≤ 0.05) serum and fecal corticosterone expression and induced anxiety-like behavior in wild-type (WT) mice. Intravesical instillation of the selective TRPV1 antagonist capsazepine (CPZ) rescued RVS-induced bladder dysfunction in WT mice. <i>Trpv1</i> knockout (KO) mice did not increase voiding frequency with RVS and did not exhibit increased serum corticosterone expression despite exhibiting anxiety-like behavior. Mast cell-deficient mice (B6.Cg-<i>Kit</i>^w-sh) failed to demonstrate RVS-induced increased voiding frequency or serum corticosterone expression, whereas control (no stress) mast cell-deficient mice had similar functional bladder capacity to WT mice. TRPV1 protein expression was significantly increased in the rostral lumbar (L1-L2) spinal cord and dorsal root ganglia (DRG) in WT mice exposed to RVS, but no changes were observed in lumbosacral (L6-S1) spinal segments or DRG. These studies demonstrated TRPV1 and mast cell involvement in RVS-induced increased voiding frequency and suggest that TRPV1 and mast cells may be useful targets to mitigate stress-induced urinary bladder dysfunction.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> Using pharmacological tools and transgenic mice in a repeated variate stress (RVS) model in female mice, we demonstrate that transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) and mast cells contribute to the increased voiding frequency observed following RVS. TRPV1 and mast cells should continue to be considered as targets to improve bladder function in stress-induced bladder dysfunction.</p>","PeriodicalId":93867,"journal":{"name":"American journal of physiology. Renal physiology","volume":" ","pages":"F476-F488"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11460343/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141592394","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The mineralocorticoid receptor in diabetic kidney disease.","authors":"Guanghong Jia, Guido Lastra, Brian P Bostick, Nihay LahamKaram, Johanna P Laakkonen, Seppo Ylä-Herttuala, Adam Whaley-Connell","doi":"10.1152/ajprenal.00135.2024","DOIUrl":"10.1152/ajprenal.00135.2024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Diabetes mellitus is one of the leading causes of chronic kidney disease and its progression to end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is characterized by glomerular hypertrophy, hyperfiltration, inflammation, and the onset of albuminuria, together with a progressive reduction in glomerular filtration rate. This progression is further accompanied by tubulointerstitial inflammation and fibrosis. Factors such as genetic predisposition, epigenetic modifications, metabolic derangements, hemodynamic alterations, inflammation, and inappropriate renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) activity contribute to the onset and progression of DKD. In this context, decades of work have focused on glycemic and blood pressure reduction strategies, especially targeting the RAAS to slow disease progression. Although much of the work has focused on targeting angiotensin II, emerging data support that the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) is integral in the development and progression of DKD. Molecular mechanisms linked to the underlying pathophysiological changes derived from MR activation include vascular endothelial and epithelial cell responses to oxidative stress and inflammation. These responses lead to alterations in the microcirculatory environment, the abnormal release of extracellular vesicles, gut dysbiosis, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and kidney fibrosis. Herein, we present recent experimental and clinical evidence on the MR in DKD onset and progress along with new MR-based strategies for the treatment and prevention of DKD.</p>","PeriodicalId":93867,"journal":{"name":"American journal of physiology. Renal physiology","volume":" ","pages":"F519-F531"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11460335/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141725275","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Update: the role of epigenetics in the metabolic memory of diabetic complications.","authors":"Zhuo Chen, Vajir Malek, Rama Natarajan","doi":"10.1152/ajprenal.00115.2024","DOIUrl":"10.1152/ajprenal.00115.2024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Diabetes, a chronic disease characterized by hyperglycemia, is associated with significantly accelerated complications, including diabetic kidney disease (DKD), which increases morbidity and mortality. Hyperglycemia and other diabetes-related environmental factors such as overnutrition, sedentary lifestyles, and hyperlipidemia can induce epigenetic changes. Working alone or with genetic factors, these epigenetic changes that occur without alterations in the underlying DNA sequence, can alter the expression of pathophysiological genes and impair functions of associated target cells/organs, leading to diabetic complications like DKD. Notably, some hyperglycemia-induced epigenetic changes persist in target cells/tissues even after glucose normalization, leading to sustained complications despite glycemic control, so-called metabolic memory. Emerging evidence from in vitro and in vivo animal models and clinical trials with subjects with diabetes identified clear associations between metabolic memory and epigenetic changes including DNA methylation, histone modifications, chromatin structure, and noncoding RNAs at key loci. Targeting such persistent epigenetic changes and/or molecules regulated by them can serve as valuable opportunities to attenuate, or erase metabolic memory, which is crucial to prevent complication progression. Here, we review these cell/tissue-specific epigenetic changes identified to-date as related to diabetic complications, especially DKD, and the current status on targeting epigenetics to tackle metabolic memory. We also discuss limitations in current studies, including the need for more (epi)genome-wide studies, integrative analysis using multiple epigenetic marks and Omics datasets, and mechanistic evaluation of metabolic memory. Considering the tremendous technological advances in epigenomics, genetics, sequencing, and availability of genomic datasets from clinical cohorts, this field is likely to see considerable progress in the upcoming years.</p>","PeriodicalId":93867,"journal":{"name":"American journal of physiology. Renal physiology","volume":" ","pages":"F327-F339"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11460341/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141499916","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An efficient inducible model for the control of gene expression in renin cells.","authors":"Silvia Medrano, Manako Yamaguchi, Lucas Ferreira de Almeida, Jason P Smith, Hiroki Yamaguchi, Curt D Sigmund, Maria Luisa S Sequeira-Lopez, R Ariel Gomez","doi":"10.1152/ajprenal.00129.2024","DOIUrl":"10.1152/ajprenal.00129.2024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Fate mapping and genetic manipulation of renin cells have relied on either noninducible <i>Cre</i> lines that can introduce the developmental effects of gene deletion or bacterial artificial chromosome transgene-based inducible models that may be prone to spurious and/or ectopic gene expression. To circumvent these problems, we generated an inducible mouse model in which <i>CreERT2</i> is under the control of the endogenous <i>Akr1b7</i> gene, an independent marker of renin cells that is expressed in a few extrarenal tissues. We confirmed the proper expression of <i>Cre</i> using <i>Akr1b7</i>^CreERT2/+;<i>R26R</i>^mTmG/+ mice in which Akr1b7⁺/renin⁺ cells become green fluorescent protein (GFP)⁺ upon tamoxifen administration. In embryos and neonates, GFP was found in juxtaglomerular cells, along the arterioles, and in the mesangium, and in adults, GFP was present mainly in juxtaglomerular cells. In mice treated with captopril and a low-salt diet to induce recruitment of renin cells, GFP extended along the afferent arterioles and in the mesangium. We generated <i>Akr1b7</i>^CreERT2/+<i>;Ren1</i>^cFl/-<i>;R26R</i>^mTmG/+ mice to conditionally delete renin in adult mice and found a marked reduction in kidney renin mRNA and protein and mean arterial pressure in mutant animals. When subjected to a homeostatic threat, mutant mice were unable to recruit renin⁺ cells. Most importantly, these mice developed concentric vascular hypertrophy ruling out potential developmental effects on the vasculature due to the lack of renin. We conclude that <i>Akr1b7</i>^CreERT2 mice constitute an excellent model for the fate mapping of renin cells and for the spatial and temporal control of gene expression in renin cells.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> Fate mapping and genetic manipulation are important tools to study the identity of renin cells. Here, we report on a novel <i>Cre</i> mouse model, <i>Akr1b7</i>^CreERT2, for the spatial and temporal regulation of gene expression in renin cells. <i>Cre</i> is properly expressed in renin cells during development and in the adult under basal conditions and under physiological stress. Moreover, renin can be efficiently deleted in the adult, leading to the development of concentric vascular hypertrophy.</p>","PeriodicalId":93867,"journal":{"name":"American journal of physiology. Renal physiology","volume":" ","pages":"F489-F503"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11460331/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141592352","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sex-specific modulation of renal epigenetic and injury markers in aging kidney.","authors":"Gabriel A Adams-Sherrod, Heddwen L Brooks, Prerna Kumar","doi":"10.1152/ajprenal.00140.2024","DOIUrl":"10.1152/ajprenal.00140.2024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Sex differences in renal physiology and pathophysiology are now well established in rodent models and in humans. Epigenetic programming is known to be a critical component of renal injury, as studied mainly in male rodent models; however, not much is known about the impact of biological sex and age on the kidney epigenome. We sought to determine the influence of biological sex and age on renal epigenetic and injury markers, using male and female mice at 4 mo (4M; young), 12 mo (12M), and 24 mo (24M; aged) of age. Females had a significant increase in kidney and body weights and serum creatinine levels and a decrease in serum albumin levels from 4M to 24M of age, whereas minor changes were observed in male mice. Kidney injury molecule-1 levels in serum and renal tissue greatly enhanced from 12M to 24M in both males and females. Circulating histone 3 (H3; damage-associated molecular pattern molecules) levels extensively increased with age; however, males had higher levels than females. Overall, females had markedly high histone acetyltransferase (HAT) activity than age-matched males. Aged mice had decreased HAT activity and increased histone deacetylase activity than sex-matched 12M mice. Aged females had substantially decreased renal H3 methylation at lysine 9 and 27 and histone methyltransferase (HMT) activity than aged male mice. Antiaging protein Klotho levels were significantly higher in young males than age-matched females and decreased substantially with age in males, whereas epigenetic repressor of Klotho, trimethylated H3K27, and its HMT enzyme, enhancer of zeste homolog 2, increased consistently with age in both sexes. Moreover, nuclear translocation and activity of proinflammatory transcription factor nuclear factor-κB (p65) were significantly higher in aged mice. Taken together, our data suggest that renal aging lies in a range between normal and diseased kidneys but may differ between female and male mice, highlighting sex-related differences in the aging process.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> Although there is evidence of sex-specific differences in kidney diseases, most preclinical studies have used male rodent models. The clinical data on renal injury have typically not been stratified by sex. Our findings provide convincing evidence of sex-specific differences in age-regulated epigenetic alterations and renal injury markers. This study highlights the importance of including both sexes for better realization of underlying sex differences in signaling mechanisms of aging-related renal pathophysiology.</p>","PeriodicalId":93867,"journal":{"name":"American journal of physiology. Renal physiology","volume":" ","pages":"F543-F551"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11460336/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141499915","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Aberrant proximal tubule DNA methylation underlies phenotypic changes related to kidney dysfunction in patients with diabetes.","authors":"Takeshi Marumo, Naoto Yoshida, Noriko Inoue, Masayuki Yamanouchi, Yoshifumi Ubara, Shinji Urakami, Takeshi Fujii, Yutaka Takazawa, Kenichi Ohashi, Wakako Kawarazaki, Mitsuhiro Nishimoto, Nobuhiro Ayuzawa, Daigoro Hirohama, Genta Nagae, Mao Fujimoto, Eri Arai, Yae Kanai, Junichi Hoshino, Toshiro Fujita","doi":"10.1152/ajprenal.00124.2024","DOIUrl":"10.1152/ajprenal.00124.2024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Epigenetic mechanisms are considered to contribute to diabetic nephropathy by maintaining memory of poor glycemic control during the early stages of diabetes. However, DNA methylation changes in the human kidney are poorly characterized, because of the lack of cell type-specific analysis. We examined DNA methylation in proximal tubules (PTs) purified from patients with diabetic nephropathy and identified differentially methylated CpG sites, given the critical role of proximal tubules in the kidney injury. Hypermethylation was observed at CpG sites annotated to genes responsible for proximal tubule functions, including gluconeogenesis, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide synthesis, transporters of glucose, water, phosphate, and drugs, in diabetic kidneys, whereas genes involved in oxidative stress and the cytoskeleton exhibited demethylation. Methylation levels of CpG sites annotated to <i>ACTN1</i>, <i>BCAR1</i>, <i>MYH9</i>, <i>UBE4B</i>, <i>AFMID</i>, <i>TRAF2</i>, <i>TXNIP</i>, <i>FOXO3</i>, and <i>HNF4A</i> were correlated with the estimated glomerular filtration rate, whereas methylation of the CpG site in <i>RUNX1</i> was associated with interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy. Hypermethylation of <i>G6PC</i> and <i>HNF4A</i> was accompanied by decreased expression in diabetic kidneys. Proximal tubule-specific hypomethylation of metabolic genes related to <i>HNF4A</i> observed in control kidneys was compromised in diabetic kidneys, suggesting a role for aberrant DNA methylation in the dedifferentiation process. Multiple genes with aberrant DNA methylation in diabetes overlapped genes with altered expressions in maladaptive proximal tubule cells, including transcription factors <i>PPARA</i> and <i>RREB1</i>. In conclusion, DNA methylation derangement in the proximal tubules of patients with diabetes may drive phenotypic changes, characterized by inflammatory and fibrotic features, along with impaired function in metabolism and transport.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> Cell type-specific DNA methylation patterns in the human kidney are not known. We examined DNA methylation in proximal tubules of patients with diabetic nephropathy and revealed that oxidative stress, cytoskeleton, and metabolism genes were aberrantly methylated. The results indicate that aberrant DNA methylation in proximal tubules underlies kidney dysfunction in diabetic nephropathy. Aberrant methylation could be a target for reversing memory of poor glycemic control.</p>","PeriodicalId":93867,"journal":{"name":"American journal of physiology. Renal physiology","volume":" ","pages":"F397-F411"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141499899","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}