Fibrosis is a pathological feature of chronic kidney disease and its progression correlates with declining renal function. Kidney fibrosis is driven by multiple profibrotic factors. This project examined the regulatory function of WNT1-inducible-signaling pathway protein 1 (WISP1) in the development of kidney fibrosis. Induction of WISP1 by transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1), and the role of WISP1 in TGF-β1/Smad signaling and fibrotic responses, was examined in multiple kidney cells. Kidney expression of WISP1 was examined in mouse models of unilateral ureter obstruction (UUO) and streptozotocin-induced diabetic nephropathy. WISP1 antibody was administered to UUO mice during the induction of kidney injury and the impact on kidney fibrosis was examined. WISP1 expression was upregulated in both mouse models. TGF-β1-induced expression of WISP1 and profibrotic genes in cultured kidney cells via TGF-βR1. Recombinant WISP1-induced expression of TGF-βR1 in kidney cells. Suppression of WISP1 by shRNA or neutralizing antibody reduced TGF-β1-mediated activation of Smad3, fibrotic gene expression, and fibroblast proliferation. Treatment with WISP1 antibody inhibited the development of kidney fibrosis in UUO mice. WISP1 mediates the profibrotic effects of TGF-β1 in kidney cells and in kidney disease. Pharmacological blockade of WISP1 exhibits potential as a novel therapy for inhibiting kidney fibrosis.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1096/fj.202000953R | DOI Listing |
Cell Biol Int
January 2025
Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokkaido University of Science, Teine-ku, Japan.
The transcription factor brain and muscle Arnt-like protein-1 (BMAL1) is a clock protein involved in various diseases, including atherosclerosis and cancer. However, BMAL1's involvement in kidney fibrosis and the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown, a gap addressed in this study. Analysis through Masson's trichrome and Sirius red staining revealed that all groups exposed to unilateral ureteral obstruction showed increased BMAL1 protein expression accompanied by increased TGF-β1 expression and elevated key fibrosis markers, including α-SMA, compared with sham groups.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFACS Omega
December 2024
Department of Urology, Suzhou Ninth Hospital affiliated to Soochow University, Suzhou 215000, China.
Cis-regulatory elements bridge enhancers and gene promoters to control gene expression via distal DNA interaction and three-dimensional chromosomal conformation organization. The aberrant changes of cis-acting regulatory systems as one type of the epigenetic regulative ways may be connected with human genetic diseases. Klotho, as an antiaging protein, is selectively expressed in kidney tissues and plays a crucial role in preventing chronic kidney disease (CKD) and renal fibrosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCurr Med Chem
January 2025
3rd Department of Cardiology, General Hospital of Thoracic Diseases 'Sotiria', National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, School of Medicine, Athens, Greece.
Arterial hypertension is a silent and progressive disease with deleterious vascular implications on all target organs, including the heart, the brain, the kidneys, and the eyes. Oxidative stress, defined as the overproduction of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) over antioxidants, is capable of deteriorating not only the normal endothelial but also the cellular function with further cardiovascular implications. Xanthine oxidase activity, NADPH oxidase overexpression, and ROS production lead to hypertension and high arterial tone, culminating in end-organ damage.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCurr Stem Cell Res Ther
December 2024
Department of Nephrology, The Second Hospital Affiliated to Kunming Medical University, Kunming, 650101, China.
Objective: This study aims to explore the therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) in treating diabetic nephropathy (DN) by investigating their effect on IL-11 modulation in a mouse model.
Methods: The effects of MSC therapy on DN were examined both in vivo and in vitro. Sixty adult male C57BL/6 mice were divided into the streptozotocin (STZ) diabetes (T1D) and the high-fat diet diabetes (T2D) models, with both groups receiving MSC treatment or saline for 4 or 8 weeks.
Commun Med (Lond)
January 2025
Department of Dermatology, Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) causes progressive and irreversible damage to the kidneys. Renal biopsies are essential for diagnosing the etiology and prognosis of CKD, while accurate quantification of tubulo-interstitial injuries from whole slide images (WSIs) of renal biopsy specimens is challenging with visual inspection alone.
Methods: We develop a deep learning-based method named DLRS to quantify interstitial fibrosis and inflammatory cell infiltration as tubulo-interstitial injury scores, from WSIs of renal biopsy specimens.
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