Project description:Angiotensin receptor blockade (ARB) and sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitor (SGLT2i) have been used as the standard therapy for patients with diabetic kidney disease (DKD). However, how these two drugs possess additive renal protective effects remains unclear. Here, we conducted single cell RNA-sequencing to profile the kidney cell transcriptome of db/db mice treated with vehicle, ARB, SGLT2i, or both drugs and db/m mice. We identified 10 distinct clusters of kidney cells with predominant proximal tubular (PT) cells. We found that ARB has more anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrosis effects while SGLT2i affects more mitochondrial function. We also identified a new PT subcluster which was increased in DKD but reversed by treatments.This new subcluster was also confirmed by Immunostaining of mouse and human kidneys with DKD. Together, our study reveal kidney cell-specific gene signatures in response to ARB and SGLT2i and also identified a new PT subcluster which provides new insight into DKD.
