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Podocyte-specific overexpression of human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 attenuates diabetic nephropathy in mice.

ABSTRACT: Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) degrades angiotensin II to angiotensin-(1-7) and is expressed in podocytes. Here we overexpressed ACE2 in podocytes in experimental diabetic nephropathy using transgenic methods where a nephrin promoter drove the expression of human ACE2. Glomeruli from these mice had significantly increased mRNA, protein, and activity of ACE2 compared to wild-type mice. Male mice were treated with streptozotocin to induce diabetes. After 16 weeks, there was no significant difference in plasma glucose levels between wild-type and transgenic diabetic mice. Urinary albumin was significantly increased in wild-type diabetic mice at 4 weeks, whereas albuminuria in transgenic diabetic mice did not differ from wild-type nondiabetic mice. However, this effect was transient and by 16 weeks both transgenic and nontransgenic diabetic mice had similar rates of proteinuria. Compared to wild-type diabetic mice, transgenic diabetic mice had an attenuated increase in mesangial area, decreased glomerular area, and a blunted decrease in nephrin expression. Podocyte numbers decreased in wild-type diabetic mice at 16 weeks, but were unaffected in transgenic diabetic mice. At 8 weeks, kidney cortical expression of transforming growth factor-?1 was significantly inhibited in transgenic diabetic mice as compared to wild-type diabetic mice. Thus, the podocyte-specific overexpression of human ACE2 transiently attenuates the development of diabetic nephropathy.

SUBMITTER: Nadarajah R

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3410252 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Podocyte-specific overexpression of human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 attenuates diabetic nephropathy in mice.

Nadarajah Renisha R Milagres Rosangela R Dilauro Marc M Gutsol Alex A Xiao Fengxia F Zimpelmann Joseph J Kennedy Chris C Wysocki Jan J Batlle Daniel D Burns Kevin D KD

Kidney international 20120404 3

Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) degrades angiotensin II to angiotensin-(1-7) and is expressed in podocytes. Here we overexpressed ACE2 in podocytes in experimental diabetic nephropathy using transgenic methods where a nephrin promoter drove the expression of human ACE2. Glomeruli from these mice had significantly increased mRNA, protein, and activity of ACE2 compared to wild-type mice. Male mice were treated with streptozotocin to induce diabetes. After 16 weeks, there was no significant ...[more]

PMID: 22475818

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Project description:Blockers of the renin-angiotensin system are effective in the treatment of experimental and clinical diabetic nephropathy. An approach different from blocking the formation or action of angiotensin II (1-8) that could also be effective involves fostering its degradation. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is a monocarboxypeptidase that cleaves angiotensin II (1-8) to form angiotensin (1-7). Therefore, we examined the renal effects of murine recombinant ACE2 in mice with streptozotocin-induced diabetic nephropathy as well as that of amplification of circulating ACE2 using minicircle DNA delivery prior to induction of experimental diabetes. This delivery resulted in a long-term sustained and profound increase in serum ACE2 activity and enhanced ability to metabolize an acute angiotensin II (1-8) load. In mice with streptozotocin-induced diabetes pretreated with minicircle ACE2, ACE2 protein in plasma increased markedly and this was associated with a more than 100-fold increase in serum ACE2 activity. However, minicircle ACE2 did not result in changes in urinary ACE2 activity as compared to untreated diabetic mice. In both diabetic groups, glomerular filtration rate increased significantly and to the same extent as compared to non-diabetic controls. Albuminuria, glomerular mesangial expansion, glomerular cellularity, and glomerular size were all increased to a similar extent in minicircle ACE2-treated and untreated diabetic mice, as compared to non-diabetic controls. Recombinant mouse ACE2 given for 4 weeks by intraperitoneal daily injections in mice with streptozotocin-induced diabetic nephropathy also failed to improve albuminuria or kidney pathology. Thus, a profound augmentation of ACE2 confined to the circulation failed to ameliorate the glomerular lesions and hyperfiltration characteristic of early diabetic nephropathy. These findings emphasize the importance of targeting the kidney rather than the circulatory renin angiotensin system to combat diabetic nephropathy.

Project description:Overactivity of the renin-angiotensin system, oxidative stress, and cyclooxygenases (COX) in the brain are implicated in the pathogenesis of hypertension. We previously reported that angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) overexpression in the brain attenuates the development of deoxycorticosterone acetate-salt hypertension, a neurogenic hypertension model with enhanced brain renin-angiotensin system and sympathetic activity. To elucidate the mechanisms involved, we investigated whether oxidative stress, mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling and cyclooxygenase (COX) activation in the brain are modulated by ACE2 in neurogenic hypertension. Deoxycorticosterone acetate-salt hypertension significantly increased expression of Nox-2 (+61±5%), Nox-4 (+50±13%), and nitrotyrosine (+89±32%) and reduced activity of the antioxidant enzymes, catalase (-29±4%) and superoxide dismutase (-31±7%), indicating increased oxidative stress in the brain of nontransgenic mice. This increased oxidative stress was attenuated in transgenic mice overexpressing ACE2 in the brain. Deoxycorticosterone acetate-salt-induced reduction of neuronal nitric oxide synthase expression (-26±7%) and phosphorylated endothelial nitric oxide synthase/total endothelial nitric oxide synthase (-30±3%), and enhanced phosphorylation of protein kinase B and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 in the paraventricular nucleus, were reversed by ACE2 overexpression. In addition, ACE2 overexpression blunted the hypertension-mediated increase in gene and protein expression of COX-1 and COX-2 in the paraventricular nucleus. Furthermore, gene silencing of either COX-1 or COX-2 in the brain, reduced microglial activation and accompanied neuroinflammation, ultimately attenuating Deoxycorticosterone acetate-salt hypertension. Together, these data provide evidence that brain ACE2 overexpression reduces oxidative stress and COX-mediated neuroinflammation, improves antioxidant and nitric oxide signaling, and thereby attenuates the development of neurogenic hypertension.

Project description:BackgroundClassical and delayed preconditioning are powerful endogenous protection mechanisms against ischemia-reperfusion damage. However, it is still uncertain whether delayed preconditioning can effectively salvage myocardium in patients with co-morbidities, such as diabetes and the metabolic syndrome. We investigated delayed preconditioning in mice models of type II diabetes and the metabolic syndrome and investigated interventions to optimize the preconditioning potential.MethodsHypoxic preconditioning was induced in C57Bl6-mice (WT), leptin deficient ob/ob (model for type II diabetes) and double knock-out (DKO) mice with combined leptin and LDL-receptor deficiency (model for metabolic syndrome). Twenty-four hours later, 30 min of regional ischemia was followed by 60 min reperfusion. Left ventricular contractility and infarct size were studied. The effect of 12 weeks food restriction or angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition (ACE-I) on this was investigated. Differences between groups were analyzed for statistical significance by student's t-test or one-way ANOVA followed by a Fisher's LSD post hoc test. Factorial ANOVA was used to determine the interaction term between preconditioning and treatments, followed by a Fisher's LSD post hoc test. Two-way ANOVA was used to determine the relationship between infarct size and contractility (PRSW). A value of p<0.05 was considered significant.ResultsLeft ventricular contractility is reduced in ob/ob compared with WT and even further reduced in DKO. ACE-I improved contractility in ob/ob and DKO mice. After ischemia/reperfusion without preconditioning, infarct size was larger in DKO and ob/ob versus WT. Hypoxic preconditioning induced a strong protection in WT and a partial protection in ob/ob mice. The preconditioning potential was lost in DKO. Twelve weeks of food restriction or ACE-I restored the preconditioning potential in DKO and improved it in ob/ob.ConclusionDelayed preconditioning is restored by food restriction and ACE-I in case of type II diabetes and the metabolic syndrome.

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Podocyte-specific overexpression of human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 attenuates diabetic nephropathy in mice.

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Podocyte-specific overexpression of human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 attenuates diabetic nephropathy in mice.

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