Objective Ubiquitin-specific protease 4(USP4)facilitates the development of transforming growth factor-beta 1(TGF-β1)-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT)in various cancer cells.Moreover,EMT of renal tubula...Objective Ubiquitin-specific protease 4(USP4)facilitates the development of transforming growth factor-beta 1(TGF-β1)-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT)in various cancer cells.Moreover,EMT of renal tubular epithelial cells(RTECs)is required for the progression of renal interstitial fibrosis.However,the role of USP4 in EMT of RTECs remains unknown.The present study aimed to explore the effect of USP4 on the EMT of RTECs as well as the involved mechanism.Methods In established unilateral ureteral obstruction(UUO)rats and NRK-52E cells,immunohistochemistry and Western blot assays were performed.Results USP4 expression was increased significantly with obstruction time.In NRK-52E cells stimulated by TGF-β1,USP4 expression was increased in a time-dependent manner.In addition,USP4 silencing with specific siRNA indicated that USP4 protein was suppressed effectively.Meanwhile,USP4 siRNA treatment restored E-cadherin and weakened alpha smooth muscle actin(α-SMA)expression,indicating that USP4 may promote EMT.After treatment with USP4 siRNA and TGF-β1 for 24 h,the expression of TGF-β1 receptor type I(TβRI)was decreased.Conclusion USP4 promotes the EMT of RTECs through upregulating TβRI,thereby facilitating renal interstitial fibrosis.These findings may provide a potential target of USP4 in the treatment of renal fibrosis.展开更多
Objective Chronic renal failure(CRF)is a worldwide public health burden.Niaoduqing granules(NDQ)is widely used for CRF treatment in China.However,the underlying mechanism of NDQ is not fully studied.This study is aime...Objective Chronic renal failure(CRF)is a worldwide public health burden.Niaoduqing granules(NDQ)is widely used for CRF treatment in China.However,the underlying mechanism of NDQ is not fully studied.This study is aimed to investigate whether NDQ ameliorate CRF by inhibiting transforming growth factor-β1(TGF-β1)-induced EMT in human renal tubular epithelial HK-2 cells.Methods 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenylterazolium bromide assay and colony formation assay were used to investigate the cytotoxicity of NDQ in HK-2 cells.Morphological changes of HK-2 cells after TGF-β1 or/and NDQ treatment were observed under a microscope.Wound-healing,migration and invasion assays were performed to determine the cell movement,migratory and invasive abilities,respectively.Western blot analysis was carried out to examine the protein levels of TGF-βreceptor I(TβRI)and epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT)-associated factors.Fluorescence confocal microscopy was applied to observe the organization of filamentous actin.Results NDQ suppressed TβRI expression dose-dependently.NDQ inhibited TGF-β1-stimulated EMT in HK-2 cells,supported by the evidences that NDQ prevented morphology change,attenuated cell migration and invasion,downregulated EMT factors and reorganized filamentous actin distribution in TGF-β1-stimulated HK-2 cells.Conclusions NDQ attenuates chronic renal failure which may be associated with inhibition of TβRI expression and EMT process.展开更多
Erbin, a member of Leucine-rich repeat and PDZ-containing protein family, was found to inhibit TGF-β-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition （EMT） in our previous study. However, the mechanism of Erbin in regulat...Erbin, a member of Leucine-rich repeat and PDZ-containing protein family, was found to inhibit TGF-β-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition （EMT） in our previous study. However, the mechanism of Erbin in regulating EMT is unclear. Semaphorin protein Sema4C, with PDZ binding site at C-terminal has been recognized as a positive regulator of EMT. Here, we aimed to examine the inter- action between Erbin and Sema4C. HK2 cells were treated with TGF-β1, or transfected with Erbin and （or） Sema4C. Interaction of Erbin and Sema4C was identified by immunoprecipitation. RT-PCR was used to detect the expression of Erbin and Sema4C at mRNA level after transfection. The expression levels of Erbin, Sema4C, and markers of EMT were measured by using Western blotting or ELISA. Af- ter HK2 cells were stimulated with 10 ng/mL TGF-β1 for 72 h, the protein expression levels of Erbin and Sema4C were both up-regulated, and immunoprecipitation results showed Erbin interacted with Sema4C in HK2 cells both at endogenous and exogenous levels. Furthermore, overexpression of Sema4C suppressed E-cadherin, induced vimentin and promoted fibronectin secretion, indicating Sema4C promotes the process of EMT. However, HK2 cells overexpressing Erbin were resistant to Sema4C-induced EMT. In contrast, Erbin specific siRNA promoted EMT induced by Sema4C. Taken together, these results suggest that Erbin can interact with Sema4C, and co-expression of Erbin blocks the process of Sema4C-induced EMT.展开更多
Objective: The study aimed to explore the protective mechanism of Ganoderic acid A (GAA) in renal fibrosisand to verify that GAA can ameliorate renal fibrosis by regulating the Niemann-pick C1-like 1 (NPC1L1) gene. Meth...Objective: The study aimed to explore the protective mechanism of Ganoderic acid A (GAA) in renal fibrosisand to verify that GAA can ameliorate renal fibrosis by regulating the Niemann-pick C1-like 1 (NPC1L1) gene. Methods:Transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-β1) was used to treat Human Kidney-2 (HK-2) cells to establish a renal fibrosismodel. The differentially expressed genes in the control (CTRL) group, TGF-β1 group, and TGF-β1 + GAA group werescreened via transcriptome sequencing technology and verified by qPCR and Western blot experiments. The NPC1L1gene overexpression plasmid was constructed. The expression levels of N-cad, E-cad, and Slug-related proteins inCTRL, TGF-β1, TGF-β1+GAA (25 μg/mL), and TGF-β1+GAA (25 μg/mL) + NPC1L1 Overexpression (OE) groupswere detected by qPCR and Western blot analysis. Western blot analysis was used to identify the extracellular matrixassociated proteins Tenascin-C, α-SMA, and fibrosis-related protein Collagen I. Fibrosis marker protein Fibronectinwas detected and quantified by immunofluorescence. Results: Transcriptomic sequencing revealed that TGF-β1stimulation led to 267 differentially regulated genes, with 118 up-regulated and 149 down-regulated, while furthermodulation of 213 genes, comprising 112 up-regulated and 101 down-regulated genes, was observed in the GAAintervention group. The target gene in these processes was found to be NPC1L1 by investigations using GeneOntology (GO) and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). qPCR and Western blot resultsconfirmed that TGF-β1 increased NPC1L1 expression, which was attenuated by GAA. Additionally, TGF-β1upregulated N-cad and Slug. However, GAA reversed this effect and NPC1L1 overexpression partially rescued theGAA effect. TGF-β1 also decreased E-cad expression, reversed by GAA, and NPC1L1 overexpression antagonized thisreversal. Furthermore, TGF-β1 promoted Collagen I, α-SMA, and Tenascin-C expression, and GAA reduced theselevels, effects that were reversed by NPC1L1 overexpression. Immunofluorescence results showed that TGF-β1increased fibronectin expression, which was decreased by GAA, and increased by NPC1L1 overexpression.Conclusion: GAA ameliorates renal fibrosis by antagonizing NPC1L1 gene expression inhibiting epithelialmesenchymal transition and reducing extracellular matrix formation.展开更多
Total saponins of Panax notoginseng （PNS） have been shown to ameliorate renal interstitial fibrosis. Ginsenoside Rg 1, a panaxatriol saponin, is one of the major active molecules from PNS. The present study was unde...Total saponins of Panax notoginseng （PNS） have been shown to ameliorate renal interstitial fibrosis. Ginsenoside Rg 1, a panaxatriol saponin, is one of the major active molecules from PNS. The present study was undertaken to investigate the effect of ginsenoside Rgl on renal fibrosis in rats with unilateral ureteral obstruction （UUO）. The rats were randomly divided into 3 groups： sham-operation （n=15）, UUO （n=15） and UUO with ginsenoside Rgl treatment （n=15, 50 mg per kg body weight, intraperitoneally （i.p.） injected）. The rats were sacrificed on Days 7 and 14 after the surgery. Histological examination demonstrated that ginsenoside Rgl significantly inhibited interstitial fibrosis including tubular injury as well as collagen deposition, u-smooth muscle actin （α-SMA） and E-cadherin are two markers of tubular epithelial-myofibroblast transition （TEMT）. Interestingly, ginsenoside Rgl notably decreased α-SMA expression and simultaneously enhanced E-cadherin expression. The messenger RNA （mRNA） of transforming growth factor-β1 （TGF-β1）, a key mediator to regulate TEMT, in the obstructed kidney increased dramatically, but was found to decrease significantly after administration of ginsenoside Rg 1. Further study showed that ginsenoside Rgl considerably decreased the levels of both active TGF-β1 and phosphorylated Smad2 （pSmad2）. Moreover, ginsenoside Rgl substantially suppressed the expression of thrombospondin-1 （TSP-1）, a cytokine which can promote the transcription of TGF-β1 mRNA and the activation of latent TGF-β1. These results suggest that ginsenoside Rgl inhibits renal interstitial fibrosis in rats with UUO. The mechanism might be partly related to the blocking of TEMT via suppressing the expression of TSP-1.展开更多
目的:建立高糖诱导的肾小管上皮细胞转分化模型,检测肾小管上皮细胞转分化过程中Smad锚着蛋白(Smad anchor for receptor activation,SARA)的表达变化。方法:采用Western印迹和实时定量PCR检测细胞波形蛋白(vimentin)、紧密连接蛋白(Zon...目的:建立高糖诱导的肾小管上皮细胞转分化模型,检测肾小管上皮细胞转分化过程中Smad锚着蛋白(Smad anchor for receptor activation,SARA)的表达变化。方法:采用Western印迹和实时定量PCR检测细胞波形蛋白(vimentin)、紧密连接蛋白(Zona occludens-1,ZO-1)、SARA蛋白及其mRNA表达水平。结果:30mmol/LD-葡萄糖刺激后,HK-2细胞vimentin蛋白及其mRNA水平呈时间依赖性升高,而ZO-1蛋白及其mRNA水平呈时间依赖性下降,此变化在高糖刺激48h时最为显著。同时,SARA蛋白及其mRNA表达水平呈时间依赖性下降。结论:高糖可诱导HK-2细胞发生转分化,SARA可能作为保护因子参与了这一过程。展开更多
文摘Objective Ubiquitin-specific protease 4(USP4)facilitates the development of transforming growth factor-beta 1(TGF-β1)-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT)in various cancer cells.Moreover,EMT of renal tubular epithelial cells(RTECs)is required for the progression of renal interstitial fibrosis.However,the role of USP4 in EMT of RTECs remains unknown.The present study aimed to explore the effect of USP4 on the EMT of RTECs as well as the involved mechanism.Methods In established unilateral ureteral obstruction(UUO)rats and NRK-52E cells,immunohistochemistry and Western blot assays were performed.Results USP4 expression was increased significantly with obstruction time.In NRK-52E cells stimulated by TGF-β1,USP4 expression was increased in a time-dependent manner.In addition,USP4 silencing with specific siRNA indicated that USP4 protein was suppressed effectively.Meanwhile,USP4 siRNA treatment restored E-cadherin and weakened alpha smooth muscle actin(α-SMA)expression,indicating that USP4 may promote EMT.After treatment with USP4 siRNA and TGF-β1 for 24 h,the expression of TGF-β1 receptor type I(TβRI)was decreased.Conclusion USP4 promotes the EMT of RTECs through upregulating TβRI,thereby facilitating renal interstitial fibrosis.These findings may provide a potential target of USP4 in the treatment of renal fibrosis.
基金This work was supported by the Guangdong Province Universities and Colleges Pearl River Scholar Funded Scheme(GDHVPS2018)the National Hong Kong Scholars program(XJ2016059)+2 种基金the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province(2020A1515011239)the Guangzhou Science and Technology Project(202102021241)the Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Guangdong Province(20211253)and the Guangzhou Consun Pharmaceuticals Co.,Ltd..These funding bodies played no role in the design of the study,collection,analysis and interpretation of data,and in writing the manuscript.
文摘Objective Chronic renal failure(CRF)is a worldwide public health burden.Niaoduqing granules(NDQ)is widely used for CRF treatment in China.However,the underlying mechanism of NDQ is not fully studied.This study is aimed to investigate whether NDQ ameliorate CRF by inhibiting transforming growth factor-β1(TGF-β1)-induced EMT in human renal tubular epithelial HK-2 cells.Methods 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenylterazolium bromide assay and colony formation assay were used to investigate the cytotoxicity of NDQ in HK-2 cells.Morphological changes of HK-2 cells after TGF-β1 or/and NDQ treatment were observed under a microscope.Wound-healing,migration and invasion assays were performed to determine the cell movement,migratory and invasive abilities,respectively.Western blot analysis was carried out to examine the protein levels of TGF-βreceptor I(TβRI)and epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT)-associated factors.Fluorescence confocal microscopy was applied to observe the organization of filamentous actin.Results NDQ suppressed TβRI expression dose-dependently.NDQ inhibited TGF-β1-stimulated EMT in HK-2 cells,supported by the evidences that NDQ prevented morphology change,attenuated cell migration and invasion,downregulated EMT factors and reorganized filamentous actin distribution in TGF-β1-stimulated HK-2 cells.Conclusions NDQ attenuates chronic renal failure which may be associated with inhibition of TβRI expression and EMT process.
基金supported by grants from National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.81300575,No.81100485,No.30971372,and No.30800525)
文摘Erbin, a member of Leucine-rich repeat and PDZ-containing protein family, was found to inhibit TGF-β-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition （EMT） in our previous study. However, the mechanism of Erbin in regulating EMT is unclear. Semaphorin protein Sema4C, with PDZ binding site at C-terminal has been recognized as a positive regulator of EMT. Here, we aimed to examine the inter- action between Erbin and Sema4C. HK2 cells were treated with TGF-β1, or transfected with Erbin and （or） Sema4C. Interaction of Erbin and Sema4C was identified by immunoprecipitation. RT-PCR was used to detect the expression of Erbin and Sema4C at mRNA level after transfection. The expression levels of Erbin, Sema4C, and markers of EMT were measured by using Western blotting or ELISA. Af- ter HK2 cells were stimulated with 10 ng/mL TGF-β1 for 72 h, the protein expression levels of Erbin and Sema4C were both up-regulated, and immunoprecipitation results showed Erbin interacted with Sema4C in HK2 cells both at endogenous and exogenous levels. Furthermore, overexpression of Sema4C suppressed E-cadherin, induced vimentin and promoted fibronectin secretion, indicating Sema4C promotes the process of EMT. However, HK2 cells overexpressing Erbin were resistant to Sema4C-induced EMT. In contrast, Erbin specific siRNA promoted EMT induced by Sema4C. Taken together, these results suggest that Erbin can interact with Sema4C, and co-expression of Erbin blocks the process of Sema4C-induced EMT.
基金sponsored by KeyResearch and Development Project of Science andTechnology Department of Tibet (No. XZ202201ZY0033G).
文摘Objective: The study aimed to explore the protective mechanism of Ganoderic acid A (GAA) in renal fibrosisand to verify that GAA can ameliorate renal fibrosis by regulating the Niemann-pick C1-like 1 (NPC1L1) gene. Methods:Transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-β1) was used to treat Human Kidney-2 (HK-2) cells to establish a renal fibrosismodel. The differentially expressed genes in the control (CTRL) group, TGF-β1 group, and TGF-β1 + GAA group werescreened via transcriptome sequencing technology and verified by qPCR and Western blot experiments. The NPC1L1gene overexpression plasmid was constructed. The expression levels of N-cad, E-cad, and Slug-related proteins inCTRL, TGF-β1, TGF-β1+GAA (25 μg/mL), and TGF-β1+GAA (25 μg/mL) + NPC1L1 Overexpression (OE) groupswere detected by qPCR and Western blot analysis. Western blot analysis was used to identify the extracellular matrixassociated proteins Tenascin-C, α-SMA, and fibrosis-related protein Collagen I. Fibrosis marker protein Fibronectinwas detected and quantified by immunofluorescence. Results: Transcriptomic sequencing revealed that TGF-β1stimulation led to 267 differentially regulated genes, with 118 up-regulated and 149 down-regulated, while furthermodulation of 213 genes, comprising 112 up-regulated and 101 down-regulated genes, was observed in the GAAintervention group. The target gene in these processes was found to be NPC1L1 by investigations using GeneOntology (GO) and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). qPCR and Western blot resultsconfirmed that TGF-β1 increased NPC1L1 expression, which was attenuated by GAA. Additionally, TGF-β1upregulated N-cad and Slug. However, GAA reversed this effect and NPC1L1 overexpression partially rescued theGAA effect. TGF-β1 also decreased E-cad expression, reversed by GAA, and NPC1L1 overexpression antagonized thisreversal. Furthermore, TGF-β1 promoted Collagen I, α-SMA, and Tenascin-C expression, and GAA reduced theselevels, effects that were reversed by NPC1L1 overexpression. Immunofluorescence results showed that TGF-β1increased fibronectin expression, which was decreased by GAA, and increased by NPC1L1 overexpression.Conclusion: GAA ameliorates renal fibrosis by antagonizing NPC1L1 gene expression inhibiting epithelialmesenchymal transition and reducing extracellular matrix formation.
基金Project (No. 30170437) supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China
文摘Total saponins of Panax notoginseng （PNS） have been shown to ameliorate renal interstitial fibrosis. Ginsenoside Rg 1, a panaxatriol saponin, is one of the major active molecules from PNS. The present study was undertaken to investigate the effect of ginsenoside Rgl on renal fibrosis in rats with unilateral ureteral obstruction （UUO）. The rats were randomly divided into 3 groups： sham-operation （n=15）, UUO （n=15） and UUO with ginsenoside Rgl treatment （n=15, 50 mg per kg body weight, intraperitoneally （i.p.） injected）. The rats were sacrificed on Days 7 and 14 after the surgery. Histological examination demonstrated that ginsenoside Rgl significantly inhibited interstitial fibrosis including tubular injury as well as collagen deposition, u-smooth muscle actin （α-SMA） and E-cadherin are two markers of tubular epithelial-myofibroblast transition （TEMT）. Interestingly, ginsenoside Rgl notably decreased α-SMA expression and simultaneously enhanced E-cadherin expression. The messenger RNA （mRNA） of transforming growth factor-β1 （TGF-β1）, a key mediator to regulate TEMT, in the obstructed kidney increased dramatically, but was found to decrease significantly after administration of ginsenoside Rg 1. Further study showed that ginsenoside Rgl considerably decreased the levels of both active TGF-β1 and phosphorylated Smad2 （pSmad2）. Moreover, ginsenoside Rgl substantially suppressed the expression of thrombospondin-1 （TSP-1）, a cytokine which can promote the transcription of TGF-β1 mRNA and the activation of latent TGF-β1. These results suggest that ginsenoside Rgl inhibits renal interstitial fibrosis in rats with UUO. The mechanism might be partly related to the blocking of TEMT via suppressing the expression of TSP-1.
