Novel roles for the transcriptional repressor E4BP4 in both cardiac physiology and pathophysiology

Circadian clocks temporally orchestrate biological processes critical for cellular/organ function. For example, the cardiomyocyte circadian clock modulates cardiac metabolism, signaling, and electrophysiology over the course of the day, such that, disruption of the clock leads to age-onset cardiomyopathy (through unknown mechanisms). Here, we report that genetic disruption of the cardiomyocyte clock results in chronic induction of the transcriptional repressor E4BP4. Importantly, E4BP4 deletion prevents age-onset cardiomyopathy following clock disruption. These studies also indicate that E4BP4 regulates both cardiac metabolism (eg, fatty acid oxidation) and electrophysiology (eg, QT interval). Collectively, these studies reveal that E4BP4 is a novel regulator of both cardiac physiology and pathophysiology

Involvement Of Vascular Aldosterone Synthase In Phosphate-Induced Osteogenic Transformation Of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells

Vascular calcification resulting from hyperphosphatemia is a major determinant of mortality in chronic kidney disease (CKD). Vascular calcification is driven by aldosterone-sensitive osteogenic transformation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). We show that even in absence of exogenous aldosterone, silencing and pharmacological inhibition (spironolactone, eplerenone) of the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) ameliorated phosphate-induced osteo-/chondrogenic transformation of primary human aortic smooth muscle cells (HAoSMCs). High phosphate concentrations up-regulated aldosterone synthase (CYP11B2) expression in HAoSMCs. Silencing and deficiency of CYP11B2 in VSMCs ameliorated phosphate-induced osteogenic reprogramming and calcification. Phosphate treatment was followed by nuclear export of APEX1, a CYP11B2 transcriptional repressor. APEX1 silencing up-regulated CYP11B2 expression and stimulated osteo-/chondrogenic transformation. APEX1 overexpression blunted the phosphate-induced osteo-/chondrogenic transformation and calcification of HAoSMCs. Cyp11b2 expression was higher in aortic tissue of hyperphosphatemic klotho-hypomorphic (kl/kl) mice than in wild-type mice. In adrenalectomized kl/kl mice, spironolactone treatment still significantly ameliorated aortic osteoinductive reprogramming. Our findings suggest that VSMCs express aldosterone synthase, which is up-regulated by phosphate-induced disruption of APEX1-dependent gene suppression. Vascular CYP11B2 may contribute to stimulation of VSMCs osteo-/chondrogenic transformation during hyperphosphatemia

Impact of obesity on day-night differences in cardiac metabolism

An intrinsic property of the heart is an ability to rapidly and coordinately adjust flux through metabolic pathways in response to physiologic stimuli (termed metabolic flexibility). Cardiac metabolism also fluctuates across the 24-hours day, in association with diurnal sleep-wake and fasting-feeding cycles. Although loss of metabolic flexibility has been proposed to play a causal role in the pathogenesis of cardiac disease, it is currently unknown whether day-night variations in cardiac metabolism are altered during disease states. Here, we tested the hypothesis that diet-induced obesity disrupts cardiac diurnal metabolic flexibility , which is normalized by time-of-day-restricted feeding. Chronic high fat feeding (20-wk)-induced obesity in mice, abolished diurnal rhythms in whole body metabolic flexibility, and increased markers of adverse cardiac remodeling (hypertrophy, fibrosis, and steatosis). RNAseq analysis revealed that 24-hours rhythms in the cardiac transcriptome were dramatically altered during obesity; only 22% of rhythmic transcripts in control hearts were unaffected by obesity. However, day-night differences in cardiac substrate oxidation were essentially identical in control and high fat fed mice. In contrast, day-night differences in both cardiac triglyceride synthesis and lipidome were abolished during obesity. Next, a subset of obese mice (induced by 18-wks ad libitum high fat feeding) were allowed access to the high fat diet only during the 12-hours dark (active) phase, for a 2-wk period. Dark phase restricted feeding partially restored whole body metabolic flexibility, as well as day-night differences in cardiac triglyceride synthesis and lipidome. Moreover, this intervention partially reversed adverse cardiac remodeling in obese mice. Collectively, these studies reveal diurnal metabolic inflexibility of the heart during obesity specifically for nonoxidative lipid metabolism (but not for substrate oxidation), and that restricting food intake to the active period partially reverses obesity-induced cardiac lipid metabolism abnormalities and adverse remodeling of the heart

PKB/SGK-resistant GSK-3 signaling following unilateral ureteral obstruction

Background/Aims: Renal tissue fibrosis contributes to the development of end-stage renal disease. Causes for renal tissue fibrosis include obstructive nephropathy. The development of renal fibrosis following unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) is blunted in gene-targeted mice lacking functional serum- and glucocorticoid-inducible kinase SGK1. Similar to Akt isoforms, SGK1 phosphorylates and thus inactivates glycogen synthase kinase GSK-3. The present study explored whether PKB/SGK-dependent phoshorylation of GSK-3α/β impacts on pro-fibrotic signaling following UUO. Methods: UUO was induced in mice carrying a PKB/SGK-resistant GSK-3α/β (gsk-3KI) and corresponding wild-type mice (gsk-3WT). Three days after the obstructive injury, expression of fibrosis markers in kidney tissues was analyzed by quantitative RT-PCR and western blotting. Results: GSK-3α and GSK-3β phosphorylation was absent in both, the non-obstructed and the obstructed kidney tissues from gsk-3KI mice but was increased by UUO in kidney tissues from gsk-3WT mice. Expression of α-smooth muscle actin, type I collagen and type III collagen in the non-obstructed kidney tissues was not significantly different between gsk-3KI mice and gsk-3WT mice but was significantly less increased in the obstructed kidney tissues from gsk-3KI mice than from gsk-3WT mice. After UUO treatment, renal β-catenin protein abundance and renal expression of the β-catenin sensitive genes: c-Myc, Dkk1, Twist and Lef1 were again significantly less increased in kidney tissues from gsk-3KI mice than from gsk-3WT mice. Conclusions: PKB/SGK-dependent phosphorylation of glycogen synthase kinase GSK-3 contributes to the pro-fibrotic signaling leading to renal tissue fibrosis in obstructive nephropathy

AMP-Activated Protein Kinase alpha1 Dependent Signaling in Renal Tissue Fibrosis

Tubulointerstitial fibrosis is a common hallmark of chronic kidney disease caused by diabetes, hypertension, ischemia, renal injury and obstructive uropathy. The hetereotrimeric AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) consists of three subunits (α, β, γ) and is a master sensor of cellular energy status. Activation of AMPK contributes to monocyte-fibroblast transition and production of matrix protein even though accumulating evidence suggests that activated AMPK inhibits tissue fibrosis, which may be due to isoform specific effects of AMPK. Therefore, the isoform specific function of AMPKα1 in renal fibrosis was investigated. To this end, gene-targeted mice lacking functional AMPKα1 (AMPKα1-/-) and corresponding wild-type mice (AMPK α1+/+) were subjected to unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) for 3 days, 7 days and 3 weeks or angiotensin II infusion (ANG II) for 2 weeks. Quantitative RT-PCR, western blotting and immunostaining were used to determine transcript levels and protein abundance respectively. Both, UUO and ANG II treatment increased the protein abundance of AMPKα1 in kidney tissues of AMPKα1+/+ mice. In contrast, AMPKα2 protein in UUO treated renal tissue of AMPKα1+/+ mice was down-regulated, but not in ANG II infused mice. Importantly, α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) was upregulated in renal tissue by both UUO and ANG II treatment, an effect significantly blunted by AMPKα1 deficiency. TGF-β activated kinase 1 (TAK1) phosphorylation was increased by UUO and ANG II treatment in renal tissue of AMPKα1+/+ mice, an effect significantly blunted by AMPKα1 deficiency. The UUO induced elevated transcript levels of Col1a1 and Col3a1 was reduced in AMPKα1-/- mice, although collagen deposition remained unchanged following UUO. The increased mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic cytokines was attenuated in AMPKα1-/- mice following both, UUO or ANG II treatment. Furthermore, infiltration of inflammatory cells was impaired in AMPKα1-/- mice indicated by lower mRNA expression of Cd206 and Cxcl16 after UUO. Nonetheless, AMPKα1-/- mice displayed aggravated tubular injury and apoptosis induced by UUO. In Xenopus oocytes, co-expression of wild-type and a mutated constitutively active AMPK, but not a mutated inactive AMPK reduced Kv1.5-mediated currents. Constitutively active AMPK and Nedd4-2 reduced Kv1.5 K+ channel protein abundance in the cell membrane. In conclusion, the isoform shift from AMPKα2 towards AMPKα1 potentiates myofibroblast formation and contributes to signaling involved in renal fibrosis. AMPK affects TAK1 phosphorylation and regulates Kv1.5 abundance, which may mediate the effects of AMPK during renal fibrosis

Inhibitory Effect of NH4Cl Treatment on Renal Tgfß1 Signaling Following Unilateral Ureteral Obstruction

Background/Aims: Consequences of obstructive nephropathy include tissue fibrosis, a major pathophysiological mechanism contributing to development of end-stage renal disease. Transforming growth factor β 1 (Tgfβ1) is involved in the progression of renal fibrosis. According to recent observations, ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) prevented phosphate-induced vascular remodeling, effects involving decrease of Tgfβ1 expression and inhibition of Tgfβ1-dependent signaling. The present study, thus, explored whether NH4Cl influences renal Tgfβ1-induced pro-fibrotic signaling in obstructive nephropathy induced by unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO). Methods: UUO was induced for seven days in C57Bl6 mice with or without additional treatment with NH4Cl (0.28 M in drinking water). Transcript levels were determined by RT-PCR as well as protein abundance by Western blotting, blood pH was determined utilizing a blood gas and chemistry analyser. Results: UUO increased renal mRNA expression of Tgfb1, Tgfβ-activated kinase 1 (Tak1) protein abundance and Smad2 phosphorylation in the nuclear fraction of the obstructed kidney tissues, effects blunted in NH4Cl treated mice as compared to control treated mice. The mRNA levels of the transcription factors nuclear factor of activated T cells 5 (Nfat5) and SRY (sex determining region Y)-box 9 (Sox9) as well as of tumor necrosis factor α (Tnfα), interleukin 6 (Il6), plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (Pai1) and Snai1 were up-regulated in the obstructed kidney tissues following UUO, effects again significantly ameliorated following NH4Cl treatment. Furthermore, the increased protein and mRNA expression of α-smooth muscle actin (α-Sma), fibronectin and collagen type I in the obstructed kidney tissues following UUO were significantly attenuated following NH4Cl treatment. Conclusion: NH4Cl treatment ameliorates Tgfβ1-dependent pro-fibrotic signaling and renal tissue fibrosis markers following obstructive nephropathy

SGK1-Sensitive Regulation of Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor 1B (p27) in Cardiomyocyte Hypertrophy

Background/Aims: The serum- and glucocorticoid-inducible kinase SGK1 participates in the orchestration of cardiac hypertrophy and remodeling. Signaling linking SGK1 activity to cardiac remodeling is, however, incompletely understood. SGK1 phosphorylation targets include cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1B (p27), a protein which suppresses cardiac hypertrophy. The present study explored how effects of SGK1 on nuclear p27 localization might modulate the hypertrophic response in cardiomyocytes. Methods: Experiments were performed in HL-1 cardiomyocytes and in SGK1-deficient (sgk1-/-) and corresponding wild-type (sgk1+/+) mice following pressure overload by transverse aortic constriction (TAC). Transcript levels were quantified by RT-PCR, protein abundance by Western blotting and protein localization by confocal microscopy. Results: In HL-1 cardiomyocytes, overexpression of constitutively active SGK1 (SGK1S422D) but not of inactive SGK1 (SGK1K127N) increased significantly the cell size and transcript levels encoding Acta1, a molecular marker of hypertrophy. Those effects were paralleled by almost complete relocation of p27 in the cytoplasm. Treatment of HL-1 cardiomyocytes with isoproterenol was followed by up-regulation of SGK1 expression. Moreover, isoproterenol treatment stimulated the hypertrophic response and was followed by disappearance of p27 from the nuclei, effects prevented by the SGK1 inhibitor EMD638683. The effect of SGK1S422D overexpression on Acta1 mRNA levels was disrupted by overexpression of p27 and of the p27T197A mutant lacking the SGK1 phosphorylation site, but not of the phosphomimetic p27T197D mutant. In sgk1+/+ mice, TAC increased significantly SGK1 and Acta1 mRNA levels and decreased the nuclear to cytoplasmic protein ratio of p27 in cardiac tissue, effects blunted in the sgk1-/- mice. Conclusion: SGK1-induced hypertrophy of cardiomyocytes involves p27 phosphorylation at T197, which fosters cytoplasmic p27 localization

25-Hydroxyvitamin D 3

Background: Klotho, a transmembrane protein, protease and hormone mainly expressed in kidney, is required for the suppression of 1,25(OH)2D3-generating 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 1-alpha-hydroxylase (Cyp27b1) by FGF23. Conversely, 1,25(OH)2D3 stimulates, by activating the vitamin D3 receptor (Vdr), the expression of klotho, thus establishing a negative feedback loop. Klotho protects against renal and vascular injury. Klotho deficiency accelerates aging and early death, effects at least partially due to excessive formation of 1,25(OH)2D3 and subsequent hyperphosphatemia. Klotho expression is inhibited by aldosterone. The present study explored the interaction of aldosterone and DOCA as well as the moderately selective mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist spironolactone on klotho expression. Methods: mRNA levels were determined utilizing quantitative RT-PCR in human embryonic kidney cells (HEK293) or in renal tissues from mice without or with prior mineralocorticoid (aldosterone or DOCA) and/or spironolactone treatment. In HEK293 cells, protein levels were determined by western blotting. The experiments in HEK293 cells were performed without or with silencing of CYP27B1, of vitamin D3 receptor (VDR) or of mineralocorticoid receptor (NR3C2). Results: In HEK293 cells aldosterone and in mice DOCA significantly decreased KLOTHO gene expression, effects opposed by spironolactone treatment. Spironolactone treatment alone significantly increased KLOTHO and CYP27B1 transcript levels in HEK293 cells (24 hours) and mice (8 hours or 5 days). Moreover, spironolactone significantly increased klotho and CYP27B1 protein levels in HEK293 cells (48 hours). Reduced NR3C2 expression following silencing did not significantly affect KLOTHO and CYP27B1 transcript levels in presence or absence of spironolactone. Silencing of CYP27B1 and VDR significantly blunted the stimulating effect of spironolactone on KLOTHO mRNA levels in HEK293 cells. Conclusion: Besides blocking the effects of aldosterone, spironolactone upregulates KLOTHO gene expression by upregulation of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 1-alpha-hydroxylase with subsequent activation of the vitamin D3 receptor by 1,25(OH)2D3, an effect possibly independent from the mineralocorticoid receptor