Insoluble HIFa protein aggregates by cadmium disrupt hypoxia-prolyl hydroxylase (PHD)-hypoxia inducible factor (HIFa) signaling in renal epithelial (NRK-52E) and interstitial (FAIK3-5) cells

The kidney is the main organ that senses changes in systemic O₂ pressure by hypoxia-PHD-HIFa (HPH) signaling, resulting in adaptive target gene activation, including erythropoietin (EPO). The non-essential transition metal cadmium (Cd) is nephrotoxic and disrupts the renal HPH pathway, which may promote Cd-associated chronic renal disease (CKD). A deeper molecular understanding of Cd interference with renal HPH signaling is missing, and no data with renal cell lines are available. In rat kidney NRK-52E cells, which model the proximal tubule, and murine fibroblastoid atypical interstitial kidney (FAIK3-5) cells, which mimic renal EPO-producing cells, the chemical hypoxia mimetic dimethyloxalylglycine (DMOG; 1 mmol/l) or hypoxia (1% O₂) activated HPH signaling. Cd²⁺ (2.5–20 µmol/l for ≤ 24 h) preferentially induced necrosis (trypan blue uptake) of FAIK3-5 cells at high Cd whereas NRK-52E cells specially developed apoptosis (PARP-1 cleavage) at all Cd concentrations. Cd (12.5 µmol/l) abolished HIFa stabilization and prevented upregulation of target genes (quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and immunoblotting) induced by DMOG or hypoxia in both cell lines, which was caused by the formation of insoluble HIFa aggregates. Strikingly, hypoxic preconditioning (1% O₂ for 18 h) reduced apoptosis of FAIK3-5 and NRK-52E cells at low Cd concentrations and decreased insoluble HIFa proteins. Hence, drugs mimicking hypoxic preconditioning could reduce CKD induced by chronic low Cd exposure.