Huihui Huang

IL-1β inhibits β-Klotho expression and FGF19 signaling in hepatocytes.

Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) 19 is a member of the FGF15/19 subfamily of FGFs that includes FGF15/19, FGF21, and FGF23. FGF19 has been shown to have profound effects on liver metabolism and regeneration. FGF19 binds to FGFR4 and its coreceptor β-Klotho to activate intracellular kinases, including Erk1/2. Studies have shown that proinflammatory cytokines such as TNFα impair FGF21 signaling in adipose cells by repressing β-Klotho expression. However, little is known about the effects of inflammation on the FGF19 pathway in the liver. In the present study, we found that lipopolysaccharide (LPS) inhibited β-Klotho and Fgfr4 expression in livers in mice, whereas LPS had no effects on the two FGF19 receptors in Huh-7 and HepG2 cells. Of the three inflammatory cytokines TNFα, IL-1β, and IL-6, IL-1β drastically inhibited β-Klotho expression, whereas TNFα and IL-6 had no or minor effects. None of the three cytokines had any effects on FGFR4 expression. IL-1β directly inhibited β-Klotho transcription, and this inhibition required both the JNK and NF-κB pathways. In addition, IL-1β inhibited FGF19-induced Erk1/2 activation and cell proliferation. These results suggest that inflammation and IL-1β play an important role in regulating FGF19 signaling and function in the liver.

RGMb protects against acute kidney injury by inhibiting tubular cell necroptosis via an MLKL-dependent mechanism

Significance Necroptosis is critically involved in the development of acute kidney injury (AKI), but it has not been well demonstrated that necroptosis occurs in renal tubular epithelial cells in vivo during AKI. Now, we provide evidence that renal proximal tubular cells undergo necroptosis during ischemia/reperfusion injury or oxalate nephropathy. Repulsive guidance molecule-b protects against AKI by inhibiting mixed lineage kinase domain-like membrane association and necroptosis in proximal tubular cells. Tubular cell necrosis is a key histological feature of acute kidney injury (AKI). Necroptosis is a type of programed necrosis, which is executed by mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein (MLKL) upon its binding to the plasma membrane. Emerging evidence indicates that necroptosis plays a critical role in the development of AKI. However, it is unclear whether renal tubular cells undergo necroptosis in vivo and how the necroptotic pathway is regulated during AKI. Repulsive guidance molecule (RGM)-b is a member of the RGM family. Our previous study demonstrated that RGMb is highly expressed in kidney tubular epithelial cells, but its biological role in the kidney has not been well characterized. In the present study, we found that RGMb reduced membrane-associated MLKL levels and inhibited necroptosis in cultured cells. During ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) or oxalate nephropathy, MLKL was induced to express on the apical membrane of proximal tubular (PT) cells. Specific knockout of Rgmb in tubular cells (Rgmb cKO) increased MLKL expression at the apical membrane of PT cells and induced more tubular cell death and more severe renal dysfunction compared with wild-type mice. Treatment with the necroptosis inhibitor Necrostatin-1 or GSK′963 reduced MLKL expression on the apical membrane of PT cells and ameliorated renal function impairment after IRI in both wild-type and Rgmb cKO mice. Taken together, our results suggest that proximal tubular cell necroptosis plays an important role in AKI, and that RGMb protects against AKI by inhibiting MLKL membrane association and necroptosis in proximal tubular cells.

Melamine Impairs Renal and Vascular Function in Rats

Melamine incident, linked to nephrotoxicity and kidney stone in infants previously exposed to melamine-contaminated milk products, was unprecedentedly grave in China in 2008 as little was known about the mechanistic process leading to renal dysfunction in affected children. This study investigates whether neonatal ingestion of melamine leads to renal and vascular dysfunction in adulthood; and whether ingestion of melamine in pregnant rats leads to renal dysfunction in their offspring. A combination of approaches employed includes functional studies in rat renal arteries, renal blood flow measurement by functional magnetic resonance imaging, assay for pro-inflammatory and fibrotic biomarkers, immunohistochemistry, and detection of plasma and renal melamine. We provide mechanistic evidence showing for the first time that melamine reduces renal blood flow and impairs renal and vascular function associated with overexpression of inflammatory markers, transforming growth factor-β1, bone morphogenic protein 4 and cyclooxygenase-2 in kidney and renal vasculature. Melamine also induces renal inflammation and fibrosis. More importantly, melamine causes nephropathies in offsprings from pregnant rat exposed to melamine during pregnancy, as well as in neonatal rat exposed to melamine afterbirth, thus supporting the clinical observations of kidney stone and acute renal failure in infants consuming melamine-contaminated milk products.

Osteocalcin expressing cells from tendon sheaths in mice contribute to tendon repair by activating Hedgehog signaling

Both extrinsic and intrinsic tissues contribute to tendon repair, but the origin and molecular functions of extrinsic tissues in tendon repair are not fully understood. Here we show that tendon sheath cells harbor stem/progenitor cell properties and contribute to tendon repair by activating Hedgehog signaling. We found that Osteocalcin (Bglap) can be used as an adult tendon-sheath-specific marker in mice. Lineage tracing experiments show that Bglap-expressing cells in adult sheath tissues possess clonogenic and multipotent properties comparable to those of stem/progenitor cells isolated from tendon fibers. Transplantation of sheath tissues improves tendon repair. Mechanistically, Hh signaling in sheath tissues is necessary and sufficient to promote the proliferation of Mkx-expressing cells in sheath tissues, and its action is mediated through TGFβ/Smad3 signaling. Furthermore, co-localization of GLI1+ and MKX+ cells is also found in human tendinopathy specimens. Our work reveals the molecular function of Hh signaling in extrinsic sheath tissues for tendon repair.

Repulsive Guidance Molecule b (RGMb) Is Dispensable for Normal Gonadal Function in Mice

ABSTRACT Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling plays an important role in spermatogenesis and follicle development. Our previous studies have shown that repulsive guidance molecule b (RGMb, also known as Dragon) is a coreceptor that enhances BMP2 and BMP4 signaling in several cell types and that RGMb is expressed in spermatocytes and spermatids in the testis and in oocytes of the secondary follicles in the ovary. Here, we demonstrated that specific deletion of Rgmb in germ cells in the testis and ovary did not alter Smad1/5/8 phosphorylation, gonadal structures, and fertility. In addition, ovaries from postnatal global Rgmb knockout mice showed similar structures to the wild-type ovaries. Our results suggest that RGMb is not essential for normal gonadal function.

Serum exosomes mediate delivery of arginase 1 as a novel mechanism for endothelial dysfunction in diabetes

Significance Endothelial dysfunction plays a crucial role in the development of diabetic vasculopathy, but the mechanisms are not fully understood. In this study, we have revealed a previously undefined importance of serum exosomes in regulating endothelial function and vascular homeostasis in diabetes. Through comparative proteomics analysis, arginase1 was found enriched in diabetic serum exosomes and can be transferred to endothelial cells to inhibit NO production, thus impairing endothelial function. This is a cell-to-cell communication mechanism first identified to contribute to vascular dysfunction in diabetes. Exosomes, abundant in blood, deliver various molecules to recipient cells. Endothelial cells are directly exposed to circulating substances. However, how endothelial cells respond to serum exosomes (SExos) and the implications in diabetes-associated vasculopathy have never been explored. In the present study, we showed that SExos from diabetic db/db mice (db/db SExos) were taken up by aortic endothelial cells, which severely impaired endothelial function in nondiabetic db/m+ mice. The exosomal proteins, rather than RNAs, mostly account for db/db SExos-induced endothelial dysfunction. Comparative proteomics analysis showed significant increase of arginase 1 in db/db SExos. Silence or overexpression of arginase 1 confirmed its essential role in db/db SExos-induced endothelial dysfunction. This study is a demonstration that SExos deliver arginase 1 protein to endothelial cells, representing a cellular mechanism during development of diabetic endothelial dysfunction. The results expand the scope of blood-borne substances that monitor vascular homeostasis.

Follistatin-like protein 1 increases transepithelial resistance in kidney epithelial cells through Akt signaling

Tight junctions are intercellular junctional structures that control paracellular permeability across epithelial cell sheets, and serve as a barrier to the intramembranic diffusion of components between apical and basolateral cell membrane domains. Follistatin‑like protein 1 (FSTL1) has been reported to promote cellular metabolism and survival. FSTL1 has been revealed to be highly expressed in adult kidney tissues, and high FSTL1 levels have been reported in mouse and human serum samples; however, the roles of FSTL1 in the regulation of kidney function remain to be elucidated. In the present study, FSTL1 was demonstrated to increase the transepithelial electrical resistance in mouse inner medullary collecting duct (mIMCD3) cells. The molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of FSTL1 were also investigated and the results suggested that FSTL1 may exert its actions through the modulation of Akt signaling. In addition, FSTL1 was revealed to produce no effect on the migratory capabilities of mIMCD3 cells. The results of the present study suggested that FSTL1 may facilitate the formation of tight junctions and regulate their function in renal tubular epithelia.