Collagen IV α345 dysfunction in glomerular basement membrane diseases. I. Discovery of a COL4A3 variant in familial Goodpasture's and Alport diseases

Diseases of the glomerular basement membrane (GBM), such as Goodpasture's disease (GP) and Alport syndrome (AS), are a major cause of chronic kidney failure and an unmet medical need. Collagen IVα345 is an important architectural element of the GBM that was discovered in previous research on GP and AS. How this collagen enables GBM to function as a permselective filter and how structural defects cause renal failure remain an enigma. We found a distinctive genetic variant of collagen IVα345 in both a familial GP case and four AS kindreds that provided insights into these mechanisms. The variant is an 8-residue appendage at the C-terminus of the α3 subunit of the α345 hexamer. A knock-in mouse harboring the variant displayed GBM abnormalities and proteinuria. This pathology phenocopied AS, which pinpointed the α345 hexamer as a focal point in GBM function and dysfunction. Crystallography and assembly studies revealed underlying hexamer mechanisms, as described in Companion Papers II and III. Bioactive sites on the hexamer surface were identified where pathogenic pathways of GP and AS converge, and, potentially, that of diabetic nephropathy (DN). We conclude that the hexamer functions include signaling and organizing macromolecular complexes, which enable GBM assembly and function. Therapeutic modulation or replacement of α345 hexamer could therefore be a potential treatment for GBM diseases, and this knock-in mouse model is suitable for developing gene therapies

Integrin alpha 3 beta 1, a Novel Receptor for alpha 3(IV) noncollagenous domain and a trans-dominant inhibitor for integrin alpha v beta 3

Exogenous soluble human alpha 3 noncollagenous (NC1) domain of collagen IV inhibits angiogenesis and tumor growth. These biological functions are attributed to the binding of alpha 3NC1 to integrin alpha v beta 3. However, in some tumor cells that express integrin alpha v beta 3, the alpha 3NC1 domain does not inhibit proliferation, suggesting that integrin alpha v beta 3 expression is not sufficient to mediate the anti-tumorigenic activity of this domain. Therefore, in the present study, we searched for novel binding receptors for the soluble alpha 3NC1 domain in cells lacking alpha v beta 3 integrin. In these cells, soluble alpha 3NC1 bound integrin alpha 3 beta 1; however, unlike alpha v beta 3, alpha 3 beta 1 integrin did not mediate cell adhesion to immobilized alpha 3NC1 domain. Interestingly, in cells lacking integrin alpha 3 beta 1, adhesion to the alpha 3NC1 domain was enhanced due to activation of integrin alpha v beta 3. These findings indicate that integrin alpha 3 beta 1 is a receptor for the alpha 3NC1 domain and transdominantly inhibits integrin alpha v beta 3 activation. Thus integrin alpha 3 beta 1, in conjunction with integrin alpha v beta 3, modulates cellular responses to the alpha 3NC1 domain, which may be pivotal in the mechanism underpinning its anti-angiogenic and anti-tumorigenic activities

A nephritogenic peptide induces intermolecular epitope spreading on collagen IV in experimental autoimmune glomerulonephritis

This group previously identified a peptide p13 of alpha 3(IV)NC1 domain of type IV collagen that induces experimental autoimmune glomerulonephritis (EAG) in rats with generation of antibodies to sites on alpha 3(IV)NC1 external to the peptide as a result of intramolecular epitope spreading. It was hypothesized that intermolecular epitope spreading to other collagen IV chains also was induced. Rats were immunized with nephritogenic peptide that was derived from the amino terminal part of rat alpha 3(IV)NC1 domain, and serum and kidney eluate were examined for antibodies to both native and recombinant NC1 domains of collagen IV. Peptide induced EAG with proteinuria and decreased renal function and glomerular basement membrane IgG deposits. Sera from these rats were examined by ELISA, which revealed reactivity not only to immunizing peptide but also to human and rat alpha 3(IV)NC1 and to human alpha 4(IV)NC1 domains. Kidney eluate that was depleted of alpha 3(IV)NC1 antibodies still reacted to alpha 4(IV)NC1, and alpha 3(IV)NC1 column-bound antibody reacted with alpha 3(IV)NC1. There was minimal reactivity to other collagen chains. Eluate that was adsorbed to NC1 hexamer from rat glonterular basement membrane lost all reactivity to glomerular constituents, and the eluted antibodies reacted to alpha 3(IV)NC1 and alpha 4(IV)NC1 domains. These studies show that a T cell epitope of alpha 3(IV)NC1 induces EAG, intramolecular epitope spreading along alpha 3(IV)NC1, and intermolecular epitope spreading to alpha 4(IV)NC1 domain with minimal or no reactivity to other collagen chains or glomerular constituents. This is the first demonstration in EAG of intermolecular epitope spreading and identification of the spread epitopes

MT2-MMP-dependent release of collagen IV NC1 domains regulates submandibular gland branching morphogenesis

SummaryProteolysis is essential during branching morphogenesis, but the roles of MT-MMPs and their proteolytic products are not clearly understood. Here, we discover that decreasing MT-MMP activity during submandibular gland branching morphogenesis decreases proliferation and increases collagen IV and MT-MMP expression. Specifically, reducing epithelial MT2-MMP profoundly decreases proliferation and morphogenesis, increases Col4a2 and intracellular accumulation of collagen IV, and decreases the proteolytic release of collagen IV NC1 domains. Importantly, we demonstrate the presence of collagen IV NC1 domains in developing tissue. Furthermore, recombinant collagen IV NC1 domains rescue branching morphogenesis after MT2-siRNA treatment, increasing MT-MMP and proproliferative gene expression via β1 integrin and PI3K-AKT signaling. Additionally, HBEGF also rescues MT2-siRNA treatment, increasing NC1 domain release, proliferation, and MT2-MMP and Hbegf expression. Our studies provide mechanistic insight into how MT2-MMP-dependent release of bioactive NC1 domains from collagen IV is critical for integrating collagen IV synthesis and proteolysis with epithelial proliferation during branching morphogenesis

Molecular Architecture of the Goodpasture Autoantigen in Anti-GBM Nephritis

BACKGROUND In Goodpasture's disease, circulating autoantibodies bind to the noncollagenous-1 (NC1) domain of type IV collagen in the glomerular basement membrane (GBM). The specificity and molecular architecture of epitopes of tissue-bound autoantibodies are unknown. Alport's post-transplantation nephritis, which is mediated by allo-antibodies against the GBM, occurs after kidney transplantation in some patients with Alport's syndrome. We compared the conformations of the antibody epitopes in Goodpasture's disease and Alport's post-transplantation nephritis with the intention of finding clues to the pathogenesis of anti-GBM glomerulonephritis. METHODS We used an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to determine the specificity of circulating autoantibodies and kidney-bound antibodies to NC1 domains. Circulating antibodies were analyzed in 57 patients with Goodpasture's disease, and kidney-bound antibodies were analyzed in 14 patients with Goodpasture's disease and 2 patients with Alport's post-transplantation nephritis. The molecular architecture of key epitope regions was deduced with the use of chimeric molecules and a three-dimensional model of the alpha 345NC1 hexamer. RESULTS In patients with Goodpasture's disease, both autoantibodies to the alpha 3NC1 monomer and antibodies to the alpha 5NC1 monomer (and fewer to the alpha 4NC1 monomer) were bound in the kidneys and lungs, indicating roles for the alpha 3NC1 and alpha 5NC1 monomers as autoantigens. High antibody titers at diagnosis of anti-GBM disease were associated with ultimate loss of renal function. The antibodies bound to distinct epitopes encompassing region Ea in the alpha 5NC1 monomer and regions E-A and Eb in the alpha 3NC1 monomer, but they did not bind to the native cross-linked alpha 345NC1 hexamer. In contrast, in patients with Alport's post-transplantation nephritis, allo-antibodies bound to the E-A region of the alpha 5NC1 subunit in the intact hexamer, and binding decreased on dissociation. CONCLUSIONS The development of Goodpasture's disease may be considered an autoimmune "conformeropathy" that involves perturbation of the quaternary structure of the alpha 345NC1 hexamer, inducing a pathogenic conformational change in the alpha 3NC1 and alpha 5NC1 subunits, which in turn elicits an autoimmune response

Human Podocytes Adhere to the KRGDS Motif of the α3α4α5 Collagen IV Network

Podocyte adhesion to the glomerular basement membrane is required for proper function of the glomerular filtration barrier. However, the mechanism whereby podocytes adhere to collagen IV networks, a major component of the glomerular basement membrane, is poorly understood. The predominant collagen IV network is composed of triple helical protomers containing the α3α4α5 chains. The protomers connect via the trimeric noncollagenous (NC1) domains to form hexamers at the interface. Because the NC1 domains of this network can potentially support integrin-dependent cell adhesion, it was determined whether individual NC1 monomers or α3α4α5 hexamers support podocyte adhesion. It was found that, although human podocytes did not adhere to NC1 domains proper, they did adhere via integrin αvβ3 to a KRGDS motif located adjacent to α3NC1 domains. Because the KRGDS motif is a site of phosphorylation, its interactions with integrin αvβ3 may play a critical role in cell signaling in physiologic and pathologic states