The apoptosis of glomerular mesangial cells(GMCs)is considered to be an important contributor to the initiation and development of rat Thy-1 nephritis(Thy-1N)and is accompanied by sublytic C5b-9 deposition.However,the...The apoptosis of glomerular mesangial cells(GMCs)is considered to be an important contributor to the initiation and development of rat Thy-1 nephritis(Thy-1N)and is accompanied by sublytic C5b-9 deposition.However,the mechanism by which sublytic C5b-9 triggers GMC apoptosis has not been elucidated.In this study,functional and histological examinations were performed on GMCs treated with sublytic C5b-9(in vitro)and renal tissues of Thy-1N rats(in vivo).The in vitro studies found that sublytic C5b-9 could trigger GMC apoptosis through upregulating Egr-1,ATF3,and Gadd45 expression.Egr-1-mediated post-transcriptional modulation of ATF3,Egr-1/ATF3-enhanced Gadd45 promoter activity,and p300-mediated ATF3 acetylation were all involved in GMC apoptosis.More importantly,the effective binding elements for Egr-1 and ATF3 to Gadd45β/γpromoters and the ATF3 acetylation site were identified.In vivo,silencing renal p300,Egr-1,ATF3,and Gadd45β/γsignificantly decreased GMC apoptosis,secondary GMC proliferation,and urinary protein secretion in Thy-1N rats.Together,these findings implicate that sublytic C5b-9-induced activation of Egr-1/p300–ATF3/Gadd45 axis plays a critical role in GMC apoptosis in Thy-1N rats.展开更多
基金supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundations of China(81273333,81471626,and 31470853)the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions of China(14KJB310006)supported by Priority Academic Program Development(PAPD)of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions.
文摘The apoptosis of glomerular mesangial cells(GMCs)is considered to be an important contributor to the initiation and development of rat Thy-1 nephritis(Thy-1N)and is accompanied by sublytic C5b-9 deposition.However,the mechanism by which sublytic C5b-9 triggers GMC apoptosis has not been elucidated.In this study,functional and histological examinations were performed on GMCs treated with sublytic C5b-9(in vitro)and renal tissues of Thy-1N rats(in vivo).The in vitro studies found that sublytic C5b-9 could trigger GMC apoptosis through upregulating Egr-1,ATF3,and Gadd45 expression.Egr-1-mediated post-transcriptional modulation of ATF3,Egr-1/ATF3-enhanced Gadd45 promoter activity,and p300-mediated ATF3 acetylation were all involved in GMC apoptosis.More importantly,the effective binding elements for Egr-1 and ATF3 to Gadd45β/γpromoters and the ATF3 acetylation site were identified.In vivo,silencing renal p300,Egr-1,ATF3,and Gadd45β/γsignificantly decreased GMC apoptosis,secondary GMC proliferation,and urinary protein secretion in Thy-1N rats.Together,these findings implicate that sublytic C5b-9-induced activation of Egr-1/p300–ATF3/Gadd45 axis plays a critical role in GMC apoptosis in Thy-1N rats.