Reduced Nephrin Tyrosine Phosphorylation Enhances Insulin Secretion and Increases Glucose Tolerance With Age.

BACKGROUND: Nephrin is a transmembrane protein with well-established signaling roles in kidney podocytes, and a smaller set of secretory functions in pancreatic ß cells are implicated in diabetes. Nephrin signaling is mediated in part through its 3 cytoplasmic YDxV motifs, which can be tyrosine phosphorylated by high glucose and ß cell injuries. Although in vitro studies demonstrate these phosphorylated motifs can regulate ß cell vesicle trafficking and insulin release, in vivo evidence of their role in this cell type remains to be determined. METHODS: To further explore the role of nephrin YDxV phosphorylation in ß cells, we used a mouse line with tyrosine to phenylalanine substitutions at each YDxV motif (nephrin-Y3F) to inhibit phosphorylation. We assessed islet function via primary islet glucose-stimulated insulin secretion assays and oral glucose tolerance tests. RESULTS: Nephrin-Y3F mice successfully developed pancreatic endocrine and exocrine tissues with minimal structural differences. Unexpectedly, male and female nephrin-Y3F mice showed elevated insulin secretion, with a stronger increase observed in male mice. At 8 months of age, no differences in glucose tolerance were observed between wild-type (WT) and nephrin-Y3F mice. However, aged nephrin-Y3F mice (16 months of age) demonstrated more rapid glucose clearance compared to WT controls. CONCLUSION: Taken together, loss of nephrin YDxV phosphorylation does not alter baseline islet function. Instead, our data suggest a mechanism linking impaired nephrin YDxV phosphorylation to improved islet secretory ability with age. Targeting nephrin phosphorylation could provide novel therapeutic opportunities to improve ß cell function.

Sex Differences in Glomerular Protein Expression and Effects of Soy-Based Diet on Podocyte Signaling.

Background: Kidney disease is a major public health issue arising from loss of glomerular podocyte function, and there are considerable sex differences in its prognosis. Evidence suggests a renoprotective effect of estrogen and soy diet-derived phytoestrogens, although the molecular basis for this is poorly understood. Objective: Here, we aim to assess sex differences in expression of key proteins associated with podocyte survival and determine the effects of dietary soy on glomerular and podocyte signaling. Methods: Male and female FVB mice were fed control, low (1%), and high (20%) doses of isolated soy protein (ISP) in utero and until 100 days of age. Spot urine was collected to measure proteinuria and isolated glomeruli were used to quantify activated and total levels of nephrin, Akt, and ERK1/2. To investigate protective effects of specific soy phytoestrogens, cultured podocytes were treated with or without daidzein and subject to control or high glucose as a model of podocyte injury. Results: Nephrin and Akt were elevated at baseline in glomeruli from females compared to males. Both sexes that were fed 1% and 20% ISP displayed robust increases in total glomerular Akt compared to controls, and these effects were more prominent in females. A similar trend at both doses in both sexes was observed with activated Akt and total nephrin. Notably, males exclusively showed increased phosphorylation of nephrin and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) at the 1% ISP dose; however, no overt changes in urinary albumin excretion or podocin levels were observed, suggesting that the soy diets did not impair podocyte function. Finally, in cultured male and female podocytes, daidzein treatment suppressed high glucose-induced ERK activation. Conclusions: Together, our findings reveal a putative mechanism to explain the protective influence of sex on kidney disease progression, and they provide further evidence to support a beneficial role for dietary soy in preserving glomerular function.

Contexte: L'insuffisance rénale est un problème majeur de santé publique résultant d'une perte de fonction des podocytes glomérulaires, et son pronostic diffère selon le sexe. Bien que le fondement moléculaire en soit mal compris, des données suggèrent que les œstrogènes et des phytoestrogènes dérivés du soja alimentaire auraient un effet néphroprotecteur. Objectifs: Évaluer les différences selon le sexe dans l'expression des protéines clés associées à la survie des podocytes, et déterminer les effets du soja alimentaire sur la signalisation glomérulaire et les podocytaire. Méthodologie: Des souris FVB mâles et femelles ont reçu un régime alimentaire témoin ou un regime à faible dose (1 %) ou à dose élevée (20 %) de protéines de soja isolées (PSI) in utero et jusqu'à l'âge de 100 jours. Des échantillons aléatoires d'urine ont été recueillis pour mesurer la protéinurie et des glomérules isolés ont été utilisés pour quantifier les niveaux activés et totaux de néphrine, d'Akt et d'ERK1/2. Pour évaluer l'effet protecteur de certains phytoestrogènes du soja, des podocytes cultivés ont été traités avec ou sans daidzéine et soumis à une dose témoin ou à une dose élevée de glucose comme modèle de lésion podocytaire. Résultats: Les taux initiaux de néphrine et d'Akt étaient plus élevés dans les glomérules des souris femelles. Les souris mâles et femelles nourries avec des doses de 1 % et de 20 % de PSI ont montré des augmentations significatives de l'Akt glomérulaire totale par rapport aux témoins, et ces effets étaient plus importants chez les femelles. Une tendance semblable a été observée chez les deux sexes et pour les deux doses en ce qui concerne l'Akt activée et la néphrine totale. Seuls les mâles ont montré une augmentation de la phosphorylation de la néphrine et de l'ERK à 1 % de PSI; aucun changement manifeste n'a cependant été observé dans l'excrétion urinaire d'albumine ou dans le taux de podocine, ce qui suggère que le soja alimentaire n'a pas altéré la fonction des podocytes. Dans les podocytes cultivés, tant mâles que femelles, le traitement à la daidzéine a inhibé l'activation de l'ERK induite par une forte dose de glucose. Conclusion: Ensemble, nos résultats révèlent un mécanisme putatif pouvant expliquer l'effet protecteur du sexe du patient sur la progression de l'insuffisance rénale. Ces résultats fournissent des preuves supplémentaires soutenant l'hypothèse d'un rôle bénéfique du soja alimentaire dans la préservation de la fonction glomérulaire.

Complementary Nck1/2 Signaling in Podocytes Controls α Actinin-4-Mediated Actin Organization, Adhesion, and Basement Membrane Composition.

BACKGROUND: Maintenance of the kidney filtration barrier requires coordinated interactions between podocytes and the underlying glomerular basement membrane (GBM). GBM ligands bind podocyte integrins, which triggers actin-based signaling events critical for adhesion. Nck1/2 adaptors have emerged as essential regulators of podocyte cytoskeletal dynamics. However, the precise signaling mechanisms mediated by Nck1/2 adaptors in podocytes remain to be fully elucidated. METHODS: We generated podocytes deficient in Nck1 and Nck2 and used transcriptomic approaches to profile expression differences. Proteomic techniques identified specific binding partners for Nck1 and Nck2 in podocytes. We used cultured podocytes and mice deficient in Nck1 and/or Nck2, along with podocyte injury models, to comprehensively verify our findings. RESULTS: Compound loss of Nck1/2 altered expression of genes involved in actin binding, cell adhesion, and extracellular matrix composition. Accordingly, Nck1/2-deficient podocytes showed defects in actin organization and cell adhesion in vitro, with podocyte detachment and altered GBM morphology present in vivo. We identified distinct interactomes for Nck1 and Nck2 and uncovered a mechanism by which Nck1 and Nck2 cooperate to regulate actin bundling at focal adhesions via α actinin-4. Furthermore, loss of Nck1 or Nck2 resulted in increased matrix deposition in vivo, with more prominent defects in Nck2-deficient mice, consistent with enhanced susceptibility to podocyte injury. CONCLUSION: These findings reveal distinct, yet complementary, roles for Nck proteins in regulating podocyte adhesion, controlling GBM composition, and sustaining filtration barrier integrity.