Project description:Background: We hypothesize that the poor survival outcomes of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) patients undergoing hemodialysis are associated with a low filtering efficiency and selectivity. The current gold standard criteria using single or several markers show an inability to predict or disclose the treatment effect and disease progression accurately. Methods: We performed an integrated mass spectrometry-based metabolomic and proteomic workflow capable of detecting and quantifying circulating small molecules and proteins in the serum of ESKD patients. Markers linked to cardiovascular disease (CVD) were validated on human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes. Results: We identified dozens of elevated molecules in the serum of patients compared with healthy controls. Surprisingly, many metabolites, including lipids, remained at an elevated blood concentration despite dialysis. These molecules and their associated physical interaction networks are correlated with clinical complications in chronic kidney disease. This study confirmed two uremic toxins associated with CVD, a major risk for patients with ESKD. Conclusion: The retained molecules and metabolite-protein interaction network address a knowledge gap of candidate uremic toxins associated with clinical complications in patients undergoing dialysis, providing mechanistic insights and potential drug discovery strategies for ESKD.
Project description:Purpose: End-stage renal disease (ESRD) is a condition that is characterized by the loss of kidney function. ESRD patients suffer from various endothelial dysfunctions, inflammation, and immune system defects. Lysine malonylation (Kmal) is a recently discovered post-translational modification (PTM). Although Kmal has the ability to regulate a wide range of biological processes in various organisms, its specific role in ESRD is limited. Experimental design: In this study, the affinity enrichment and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) techniques have been used to create the first global proteome and malonyl proteome (malonylome) profiles of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from twenty patients with ESRD and eighty-one controls. Results: On analysis, 793 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) and 12 differentially malonylated proteins (DMPs) with 16 Kmal sites were identified. The Rap1 signaling pathway and platelet activation pathway were found to be important in the development of chronic kidney disease (CKD), as were DMPs TLN1 and ACTB, as well as one malonylated site. One conserved Kmal motif was also discovered. Conclusion: These findings provided the first report on the Kmal profile in ESRD, which could be useful in understanding the potential role of lysine malonylation modification in the development of ESRD.
Project description:To investigate altered expression patterns of key miRNAs in end-stage ADPKD kidneys, a miRNA microarray analysis was performed using non-ADPKD and ADPKD kidney tissue samples. As a result, total 19 miRNAs were significantly changed in the ADPKD samples compared with non-ADPKD samples. Among these miRNAs, the expression level of the miR-192 family including miR-192 and miR-194 were significantly downregulated in ADPKD.
Project description:Cardiovascular disease is the major cause of morbidity and death in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Patients with CKD and ESRD are at high risk for myocardial dysfunction, ischemia and heart failure. The mechanisms linking impaired renal function and increased risk for cardiovascular diseases, however, remain elusive. In addition, conventional therapeutics proven effective in reducing cardiovascular events in general population fail to provide similar benefits in uremic patients. There is a clear need to identify novel mediators of cardiovascular complications in uremic patients to provide insights into the pathogenesis, to tailor clinical care based on cardiovascular risks, and to develop new therapeutic strategies. It has become increasingly clear that the transcription of the eukaryotic genome is far more pervasive and complex than previously appreciated. While the expression of messenger RNAs (mRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) account for only ~1% of all transcribed species, up to 90% of the mammalian genome is transcribed as long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), a heterogeneous group of non-coding transcripts longer than 200 nucleotides. LncRNAs have been shown to be functional and involved in specific physiological and pathological processes through epigenetic, transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms. While the roles of lncRNAs in human diseases including cancer and neurodegenerative disorders are beginning to emerge, it remains unclear how lncRNA regulation contributes to cardiovascular complications in patients with renal dysfunction. In this proposal, we seek to apply next-generation sequencing technology to investigate circulating (plasma) lncRNA expression in control subjects and in patients with CKD and ESRD. We will test the hypothesis that circulating lncRNA expression signature can reflect the underlying kidney disease states in patients with CKD and ESRD. In addition, we will determine if circulating lncRNA expression signature could be a sensitive and specific biomarker to predict adverse cardiovascular events in patients with ESRD.
Project description:We report the RNA expression profiles of native veins used for AVF creation and of non-kidney disease veins obtained from organ donors.
Project description:The effects of circulating pro-inflammatory factors on diabetic kidney disease (DKD) progression remain poorly defined. In this study, transcriptional and proteomic profiling of kidney tissue and blood samples from individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus and early DKD was used to identify gene expression associated with kidney disease progression. Interferon gamma (IFNG) was both identified as an upstream regulator of gene expression and detected in the serum of individuals who progressed. Individual IFNG activation scores (representing summary expression of 72 downstream signaling mediators) early in disease correlated with DKD progression over an average of 9.7 years. IFNG pathway inhibition reduced gene activity associated with DKD progression in both kidney organoids generated from human pluripotent stem cells and mouse DKD models. Thus, expression of genes associated with IFNG activity early in DKD predicted disease progression; individuals demonstrating IFNG activity may benefit from targeted therapeutics early in the disease course.