Showing posts with label Steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome. Show all posts

Monday, November 18, 2019

Fly studies contribute to understanding of novel monogenic cause of steroid-resistance nephrotic syndrome

Kampf LL, Schneider R, Gerstner L, Thünauer R, Chen M, Helmstädter M, Amar A, Onuchic-Whitford AC, Loza Munarriz R, Berdeli A, Müller D, Schrezenmeier E, Budde K, Mane S, Laricchia KM, Rehm HL, MacArthur DG, Lifton RP, Walz G, Römer W, Bergmann C, Hildebrandt F, Hermle T. TBC1D8B Mutations Implicate RAB11-Dependent Vesicular Trafficking in the Pathogenesis of Nephrotic Syndrome. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2019 Nov 15. pii: ASN.2019040414. doi: 10.1681/ASN.2019040414. PMID: 31732614.

From the abstract: "Mutations in about 50 genes have been identified as monogenic causes of nephrotic syndrome, a frequent cause of CKD. ... We used whole-exome sequencing to identify novel monogenic causes of steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS). We analyzed the functional significance of an SRNS-associated gene in vitro and in podocyte-like Drosophila nephrocytes ..."

Wednesday, April 10, 2019

Studies in fly nephrocytes (renal cells) help implicate NUP160 in steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS)

Zhao F, Zhu JY, Richman A, Fu Y, Huang W, Chen N, Pan X, Yi C, Ding X, Wang S, Wang P, Nie X, Huang J, Yang Y, Yu Z, Han Z. Mutations in NUP160 Are Implicated in Steroid-Resistant Nephrotic Syndrome. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2019 Mar 25. PMID: 30910934.

From the abstract: "Studies have identified mutations in >50 genes that can lead to monogenic steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS). The NUP160 gene, which encodes one of the protein components of the nuclear pore complex nucleoporin 160 kD (Nup160), is expressed in both human and mouse kidney cells. Knockdown of NUP160 impairs mouse podocytes in cell culture. Recently, siblings with SRNS and proteinuria in a nonconsanguineous family were found to carry compound-heterozygous mutations in NUP160. ... We identified NUP160 mutations by whole-exome and Sanger sequencing of genomic DNA from a young girl with familial SRNS and FSGS who did not carry mutations in other genes known to be associated with SRNS. We performed in vivo functional validation studies on the NUP160 mutations using a Drosophila model. ... We identified two compound-heterozygous NUP160 mutations, NUP160R1173× and NUP160E803K . We showed that silencing of Drosophila NUP160 specifically in nephrocytes (fly renal cells) led to functional abnormalities, reduced cell size and nuclear volume, and disorganized nuclear membrane structure. These defects were completely rescued by expression of the wild-type human NUP160 gene in nephrocytes. By contrast, expression of the NUP160 mutant allele NUP160R1173× completely failed to rescue nephrocyte phenotypes, and mutant allele NUP160E803K rescued only nuclear pore complex and nuclear lamin localization defects. ... Our findings indicate that NUP160 should be included in the SRNS diagnostic gene panel to identify additional patients with SRNS and homozygous or compound-heterozygous NUP160 mutations and further strengthen the evidence that NUP160 mutations can cause SRNS."

Monday, July 9, 2018

Fruit flies and kidney disease -- a review and a research article

Millet-Boureima C, Porras Marroquin J, Gamberi C. Modeling Renal Disease "On the Fly". Biomed Res Int. 2018 May 31;2018:5697436. doi: 10.1155/2018/5697436. eCollection 2018. Review. PubMed PMID: 29955604; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6000847.

Abstract: "Detoxification is a fundamental function for all living organisms that need to excrete catabolites and toxins to maintain homeostasis. Kidneys are major organs of detoxification that maintain water and electrolyte balance to preserve physiological functions of vertebrates. In insects, the renal function is carried out by Malpighian tubules and nephrocytes. Due to differences in their circulation, the renal systems of mammalians and insects differ in their functional modalities, yet carry out similar biochemical and physiological functions and share extensive genetic and molecular similarities. Evolutionary conservation can be leveraged to model specific aspects of the complex mammalian kidney function in the genetic powerhouse Drosophila melanogaster to study how genes interact in diseased states. Here, we compare the human and Drosophila renal systems and present selected fly disease models."

Hermle T, Schneider R, Schapiro D, Braun DA, van der Ven AT, Warejko JK, Daga A, Widmeier E, Nakayama M, Jobst-Schwan T, Majmundar AJ, Ashraf S, Rao J, Finn LS, Tasic V, Hernandez JD, Bagga A, Jalalah SM, El Desoky S, Kari JA, Laricchia KM, Lek M, Rehm HL, MacArthur DG, Mane S, Lifton RP, Shril S, Hildebrandt F. GAPVD1 and ANKFY1 Mutations Implicate RAB5 Regulation in Nephrotic Syndrome. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2018 Jun 29. pii: ASN.2017121312. doi: 10.1681/ASN.2017121312. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 29959197.

From the abstract: "... Steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS) is a frequent cause of CKD. The discovery of monogenic causes of SRNS has revealed specific pathogenetic pathways, but these monogenic causes do not explain all cases of SRNS. ... To identify novel monogenic causes of SRNS, we screened 665 patients by whole-exome sequencing. We then evaluated the in vitro functional significance of two genes and the mutations therein that we discovered through this sequencing and conducted complementary studies in podocyte-like Drosophila nephrocytes. ... In Drosophila, silencing Gapvd1 impaired endocytosis and caused mistrafficking of the nephrin ortholog. ... Mutations in GAPVD1 and probably in ANKFY1 are novel monogenic causes of NS. The discovery of these genes implicates RAB5 regulation in the pathogenesis of human NS."

Thursday, May 17, 2018

Fly studies help shed light on contribution of KAT2B variants to ADD3-associated disorders

Gonçalves S, Patat J, Guida MC, Lachaussée N, Arrondel C, Helmstädter M, Boyer O, Gribouval O, Gubler MC, Mollet G, Rio M, Charbit M, Bole-Feysot C, Nitschke P, Huber TB, Wheeler PG, Haynes D, Juusola J, Billette de Villemeur T, Nava C, Afenjar A, Keren B, Bodmer R, Antignac C, Simons M. A homozygous KAT2B variant modulates the clinical phenotype of ADD3 deficiency in humans and flies. PLoS Genet. 2018 May 16;14(5):e1007386. PMID: 29768408.

The abstract: "Recent evidence suggests that the presence of more than one pathogenic mutation in a single patient is more common than previously anticipated. One of the challenges hereby is to dissect the contribution of each gene mutation, for which animal models such as Drosophila can provide a valuable aid. Here, we identified three families with mutations in ADD3, encoding for adducin-γ, with intellectual disability, microcephaly, cataracts and skeletal defects. In one of the families with additional cardiomyopathy and steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS), we found a homozygous variant in KAT2B, encoding the lysine acetyltransferase 2B, with impact on KAT2B protein levels in patient fibroblasts, suggesting that this second mutation might contribute to the increased disease spectrum. In order to define the contribution of ADD3 and KAT2B mutations for the patient phenotype, we performed functional experiments in the Drosophila model. We found that both mutations were unable to fully rescue the viability of the respective null mutants of the Drosophila homologs, hts and Gcn5, suggesting that they are indeed pathogenic in flies. While the KAT2B/Gcn5 mutation additionally showed a significantly reduced ability to rescue morphological and functional defects of cardiomyocytes and nephrocytes (podocyte-like cells), this was not the case for the ADD3 mutant rescue. Yet, the simultaneous knockdown of KAT2B and ADD3 synergistically impaired kidney and heart function in flies as well as the adhesion and migration capacity of cultured human podocytes, indicating that mutations in both genes may be required for the full clinical manifestation. Altogether, our studies describe the expansion of the phenotypic spectrum in ADD3 deficiency associated with a homozygous likely pathogenic KAT2B variant and thereby identify KAT2B as a susceptibility gene for kidney and heart disease in ADD3-associated disorders."

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Experiments in Drosophila, rats and fish contribute to study related to steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS)

Gee HY, Zhang F, Ashraf S, Kohl S, Sadowski CE, Vega-Warner V, Zhou W, Lovric S, Fang H, Nettleton M, Zhu JY, Hoefele J, Weber LT, Podracka L, Boor A, Fehrenbach H, Innis JW, Washburn J, Levy S, Lifton RP, Otto EA, Han Z, Hildebrandt F. KANK deficiency leads to podocyte dysfunction and nephrotic syndrome. J Clin Invest. 2015 May 11. pii: 79504. PMID: 25961457.

From the abstract: "Steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS) is a frequent cause of progressive renal function decline and affects millions of people. In a recent study, 30% of SRNS cases evaluated were the result of monogenic mutations in 1 of 27 different genes. Here, ... we identified recessive mutations in kidney ankyrin repeat-containing protein 1 (KANK1), KANK2, and KANK4 in individuals with nephrotic syndrome. In an independent functional genetic screen of Drosophila cardiac nephrocytes, which are equivalents of mammalian podocytes, we determined that the Drosophila KANK homolog (dKank) is essential for nephrocyte function. ..."