ASN's Mission

To create a world without kidney diseases, the ASN Alliance for Kidney Health elevates care by educating and informing, driving breakthroughs and innovation, and advocating for policies that create transformative changes in kidney medicine throughout the world.

learn more

Contact ASN

1401 H St, NW, Ste 900, Washington, DC 20005

email@asn-online.org

202-640-4660

The Latest on X

Kidney Week

Please note that you are viewing an archived section from 2019 and some content may be unavailable. To unlock all content for 2019, please visit the archives.

Abstract: FR-PO215

Diabetic Milieu-Induced Mitochondrial Oxidative Damage and Loss of Mitochondrial Proteostasis in Glomerular Endothelial Cells

Session Information

Category: Diabetic Kidney Disease

  • 601 Diabetic Kidney Disease: Basic

Authors

  • Casalena, Gabriella, Icahn school of medicine at mount sinai, New York, New York, United States
  • Yu, Liping, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States
  • Daehn, Ilse S., Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States
Background

Oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction are considered central mediators in the pathogenesis of diabetic complications including diabetic kidney disease (DKD). We have demonstrated that mitochondrial stress and dysfunction in glomerular endothelial cells precede and mediate in part albuminuria, podocyte defects and depletion, and glomerulosclerosis in DKD susceptible DBA/2J mice. We hypothesize that DKD-susceptibility is characterized by glomerular endothelial mitochondrial stress-dependent endothelial dysfunction and secretion of crosstalk factors required for podocyte injury and depletion.
Aim: To examine mitochondrial oxidative stress and quality control mechanisms in glomerular endothelial cells exposed to a diabetic milieu and assess the impact of endothelial cell dysfunction on podocytes in co-culture.

Methods

We treated murine glomerular endothelial cells (mGECs) with high glucose media (HG) and 2.5% v/v of sera from non-diabetic control (CS) and diabetic (DS) DBA/2J mice. We measured mitochondrial function (oxygen consumption), fragmentation (mitotracker), mitochondrial ROS (mtROS; mitoSOX), accumulation of oxidized products (DNA lesion frequency, γ-H2AX, 8-oxoG, 3-Nitrotyrosine), mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPRmt), endothelial function (NOS activity) and cell death (Annexin/PI).

Results

Treatment of mGECs with HG or DS resulted in increased mtROS, oxidative mtDNA damage, mitochondria fission and reduced mitochondrial function compared to controls, this in turn impaired the synthesis of electron transport chain components. mtROS specific scavenger (mitoTEMPO) prevented these changes. Chronic exposure of mGECs to the diabetic milieu (up to 72h) resulted in accumulation of oxidized products due to inadequate clearance and loss of mitochondrial proteostasis, leading to cellular dysfunction. Co-incubation of podocytes with conditioned media from stressed mGECs resulted podocytes cell death.

Conclusion

Our results demonstrate that the diabetic environment can mediate GEC dysfunction by triggering mitochondria stress. Furthermore the inability to restore mitochondrial function and proteostasis, suggests a maladaptive response under chronic exposure to diabetic milieu and in turn the secretion of pro-apoptotic factors affecting podocytes in co-cultures.

Funding

  • NIDDK Support