Blocking TGF-β and -β-catenin epithelial crosstalk exacerbates CKD

Stellor Nlandu-Khodo, Surekha Neelisetty, Melanie Phillips, Marika Manolopoulou, Gautam Bhave, Lauren May, Peter E. Clark, Haichun Yang, Agnes B. Fogo, Raymond C. Harris, M. Mark Taketo, Ethan Lee, Leslie S. Gewin

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

48 Scopus citations

Abstract

The TGF-β and Wnt/β-catenin pathways have important roles in modulating CKD, but how these growth factors affect the epithelial response to CKD is not well studied. TGF-β has strong profibrotic effects, but this pleiotropic factor has many different cellular effects depending on the target cell type. To investigate how TGF-β signaling in the proximal tubule, a key target and mediator of CKD, alters the response to CKD, we injured mice lacking the TGF-β type 2 receptor specifically in this epithelial segment. Compared with littermate controls,mice lacking the proximal tubular TGF-β receptor had significantly increased tubular injury and tubulointerstitial fibrosis in two different models of CKD. RNA sequencing indicated that deleting the TGF-β receptor in proximal tubule cells modulated many growth factor pathways, but Wnt/β-catenin signaling was thepathwaymost affected.We validatedthatdeletingtheproximal tubularTGF-β receptor impairedβ-catenin activity in vitro and in vivo. Genetically restoring β-catenin activity in proximal tubules lacking the TGF-β receptor dramatically improved the tubular response toCKDinmice. Deleting the TGF-β receptor altersmany growth factors, and therefore, this ameliorated response may be a direct effect of β-catenin activity or an indirect effect of β-catenin interacting with other growth factors. In conclusion, blocking TGF-β and β-catenin crosstalk in proximal tubules exacerbates tubular injury in two models of CKD.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)3490-3503
Number of pages14
JournalJournal of the American Society of Nephrology
Volume28
Issue number12
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2017

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Blocking TGF-β and -β-catenin epithelial crosstalk exacerbates CKD'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this