Browsing by Author "Souma, Tomokazu"
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Item Open Access Acute kidney injury to chronic kidney disease transition: insufficient cellular stress response.(Current opinion in nephrology and hypertension, 2018-04-26) Strausser, Sarah A; Nakano, Daisuke; Souma, TomokazuRecent epidemiological and preclinical mechanistic studies provide strong evidence that acute kidney injury (AKI) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) form an interconnected syndrome. Injured kidneys undergo a coordinated reparative process with an engagement of multiple cell types after injury; however, maladaptation to the injury subjects kidneys to a vicious cycle of fibrogenesis and nephron loss. In this review, we will outline and discuss the pathogenesis of AKI-to-CKD transition with an emphasis on dysregulated 'cellular stress adaptation' as a potential therapeutic target.Recent studies identify the crucial role of injured tubular epithelial cells in the transition from AKI to CKD. Damaged tubular cells undergo reactivation of developmental and epithelial-mesenchymal transition signaling, metabolic alteration, and cell-cycle arrest, thereby driving inflammation and fibrogenesis. Recent work highlights that cellular stress-adaptive pathways against hypoxic and oxidative stress provide insufficient protection after severe AKI episode.Insufficient cellular stress adaptation may underpin the persistent activation of inflammatory and fibrogenic signaling in damaged kidneys. We propose that harnessing cellular stress-adaptive responses will be a promising therapeutic strategy to halt or even reverse the deleterious process of AKI-to-CKD transition.Item Open Access Angiopoietin receptor TEK mutations underlie primary congenital glaucoma with variable expressivity.(The Journal of clinical investigation, 2016-07) Souma, Tomokazu; Tompson, Stuart W; Thomson, Benjamin R; Siggs, Owen M; Kizhatil, Krishnakumar; Yamaguchi, Shinji; Feng, Liang; Limviphuvadh, Vachiranee; Whisenhunt, Kristina N; Maurer-Stroh, Sebastian; Yanovitch, Tammy L; Kalaydjieva, Luba; Azmanov, Dimitar N; Finzi, Simone; Mauri, Lucia; Javadiyan, Shahrbanou; Souzeau, Emmanuelle; Zhou, Tiger; Hewitt, Alex W; Kloss, Bethany; Burdon, Kathryn P; Mackey, David A; Allen, Keri F; Ruddle, Jonathan B; Lim, Sing-Hui; Rozen, Steve; Tran-Viet, Khanh-Nhat; Liu, Xiaorong; John, Simon; Wiggs, Janey L; Pasutto, Francesca; Craig, Jamie E; Jin, Jing; Quaggin, Susan E; Young, Terri LPrimary congenital glaucoma (PCG) is a devastating eye disease and an important cause of childhood blindness worldwide. In PCG, defects in the anterior chamber aqueous humor outflow structures of the eye result in elevated intraocular pressure (IOP); however, the genes and molecular mechanisms involved in the etiology of these defects have not been fully characterized. Previously, we observed PCG-like phenotypes in transgenic mice that lack functional angiopoietin-TEK signaling. Herein, we identified rare TEK variants in 10 of 189 unrelated PCG families and demonstrated that each mutation results in haploinsufficiency due to protein loss of function. Multiple cellular mechanisms were responsible for the loss of protein function resulting from individual TEK variants, including an absence of normal protein production, protein aggregate formation, enhanced proteasomal degradation, altered subcellular localization, and reduced responsiveness to ligand stimulation. Further, in mice, hemizygosity for Tek led to the formation of severely hypomorphic Schlemm's canal and trabecular meshwork, as well as elevated IOP, demonstrating that anterior chamber vascular development is sensitive to Tek gene dosage and the resulting decrease in angiopoietin-TEK signaling. Collectively, these results identify TEK mutations in patients with PCG that likely underlie disease and are transmitted in an autosomal dominant pattern with variable expressivity.Item Open Access Angiopoietin-1 is required for Schlemm's canal development in mice and humans.(The Journal of clinical investigation, 2017-12) Thomson, Benjamin R; Souma, Tomokazu; Tompson, Stuart W; Onay, Tuncer; Kizhatil, Krishnakumar; Siggs, Owen M; Feng, Liang; Whisenhunt, Kristina N; Yanovitch, Tammy L; Kalaydjieva, Luba; Azmanov, Dimitar N; Finzi, Simone; Tanna, Christine E; Hewitt, Alex W; Mackey, David A; Bradfield, Yasmin S; Souzeau, Emmanuelle; Javadiyan, Shari; Wiggs, Janey L; Pasutto, Francesca; Liu, Xiaorong; John, Simon Wm; Craig, Jamie E; Jin, Jing; Young, Terri L; Quaggin, Susan EPrimary congenital glaucoma (PCG) is a leading cause of blindness in children worldwide and is caused by developmental defects in 2 aqueous humor outflow structures, Schlemm's canal (SC) and the trabecular meshwork. We previously identified loss-of-function mutations in the angiopoietin (ANGPT) receptor TEK in families with PCG and showed that ANGPT/TEK signaling is essential for SC development. Here, we describe roles for the major ANGPT ligands in the development of the aqueous outflow pathway. We determined that ANGPT1 is essential for SC development, and that Angpt1-knockout mice form a severely hypomorphic canal with elevated intraocular pressure. By contrast, ANGPT2 was dispensable, although mice deficient in both Angpt1 and Angpt2 completely lacked SC, indicating that ANGPT2 compensates for the loss of ANGPT1. In addition, we identified 3 human subjects with rare ANGPT1 variants within an international cohort of 284 PCG patients. Loss of function in 2 of the 3 patient alleles was observed by functional analysis of ANGPT1 variants in a combined in silico, in vitro, and in vivo approach, supporting a causative role for ANGPT1 in disease. By linking ANGPT1 with PCG, these results highlight the importance of ANGPT/TEK signaling in glaucoma pathogenesis and identify a candidate target for therapeutic development.Item Open Access Context-dependent functions of angiopoietin 2 are determined by the endothelial phosphatase VEPTP.(Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2018-02) Souma, Tomokazu; Thomson, Benjamin R; Heinen, Stefan; Carota, Isabel Anna; Yamaguchi, Shinji; Onay, Tuncer; Liu, Pan; Ghosh, Asish K; Li, Chengjin; Eremina, Vera; Hong, Young-Kwon; Economides, Aris N; Vestweber, Dietmar; Peters, Kevin G; Jin, Jing; Quaggin, Susan EThe angiopoietin (ANGPT)-TIE2/TEK signaling pathway is essential for blood and lymphatic vascular homeostasis. ANGPT1 is a potent TIE2 activator, whereas ANGPT2 functions as a context-dependent agonist/antagonist. In disease, ANGPT2-mediated inhibition of TIE2 in blood vessels is linked to vascular leak, inflammation, and metastasis. Using conditional knockout studies in mice, we show TIE2 is predominantly activated by ANGPT1 in the cardiovascular system and by ANGPT2 in the lymphatic vasculature. Mechanisms underlying opposing actions of ANGPT2 in blood vs. lymphatic endothelium are poorly understood. Here we show the endothelial-specific phosphatase VEPTP (vascular endothelial protein tyrosine phosphatase) determines TIE2 response to ANGPT2. VEPTP is absent from lymphatic endothelium in mouse in vivo, permitting ANGPT2/TIE2-mediated lymphangiogenesis. Inhibition of VEPTP converts ANGPT2 into a potent TIE2 activator in blood endothelium. Our data support a model whereby VEPTP functions as a rheostat to modulate ANGPT2 ligand effect on TIE2.Item Open Access Ferroptotic stress promotes the accumulation of pro-inflammatory proximal tubular cells in maladaptive renal repair.(eLife, 2021-07-19) Ide, Shintaro; Kobayashi, Yoshihiko; Ide, Kana; Strausser, Sarah A; Abe, Koki; Herbek, Savannah; O'Brien, Lori L; Crowley, Steven D; Barisoni, Laura; Tata, Aleksandra; Tata, Purushothama Rao; Souma, TomokazuOverwhelming lipid peroxidation induces ferroptotic stress and ferroptosis, a non-apoptotic form of regulated cell death that has been implicated in maladaptive renal repair in mice and humans. Using single-cell transcriptomic and mouse genetic approaches, we show that proximal tubular (PT) cells develop a molecularly distinct, pro-inflammatory state following injury. While these inflammatory PT cells transiently appear after mild injury and return to their original state without inducing fibrosis, after severe injury they accumulate and contribute to persistent inflammation. This transient inflammatory PT state significantly downregulates glutathione metabolism genes, making the cells vulnerable to ferroptotic stress. Genetic induction of high ferroptotic stress in these cells after mild injury leads to the accumulation of the inflammatory PT cells, enhancing inflammation and fibrosis. Our study broadens the roles of ferroptotic stress from being a trigger of regulated cell death to include the promotion and accumulation of proinflammatory cells that underlie maladaptive repair.Item Open Access Novel ACE2-Fc chimeric fusion provides long-lasting hypertension control and organ protection in mouse models of systemic renin angiotensin system activation.(Kidney international, 2018-04-21) Liu, Pan; Wysocki, Jan; Souma, Tomokazu; Ye, Minghao; Ramirez, Veronica; Zhou, Bisheng; Wilsbacher, Lisa D; Quaggin, Susan E; Batlle, Daniel; Jin, JingAngiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is a carboxypeptidase that potently degrades angiotensin II to angiotensin 1-7. Previous studies showed that injection of the enzymatic ectodomain of recombinant ACE2 (rACE2) markedly increases circulatory levels of ACE2 activity, and effectively lowered blood pressure in angiotensin II-induced hypertension. However, due to the short plasma half-life of rACE2, its therapeutic potential for chronic use is limited. To circumvent this, we generated a chimeric fusion of rACE2 and the Ig fragment Fc segment to increase its plasma stability. This rACE2-Fc fusion protein retained full peptidase activity and exhibited greatly extended plasma half-life in mice, from less than two hours of the original rACE2, to over a week. A single 2.5 mg/kg injection of rACE2-Fc increased the overall angiotensin II-conversion activities in blood by up to 100-fold and enhanced blood pressure recovery from acute angiotensin II induced hypertension seven days after administration. To assess rACE2-Fc given weekly on cardiac protection, we performed studies in mice continuously infused with angiotensin II for 28 days and in a Renin transgenic mouse model of hypertension. The angiotensin II infused mice achieved sustained blood pressure control and reduced cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis. In chronic hypertensive transgenic mice, weekly injections of rACE2-Fc effectively lowered plasma angiotensin II and blood pressure. Additionally, rACE2-Fc ameliorated albuminuria, and reduced kidney and cardiac fibrosis. Thus, our chimeric fusion strategy for rACE2-Fc is suitable for future development of new renin angiotensin system-based inhibition therapies.Item Open Access Nrf2 inactivation enhances placental angiogenesis in a preeclampsia mouse model and improves maternal and fetal outcomes.(Science signaling, 2017-05-16) Nezu, Masahiro; Souma, Tomokazu; Yu, Lei; Sekine, Hiroki; Takahashi, Nobuyuki; Wei, Andrew Zu-Sern; Ito, Sadayoshi; Fukamizu, Akiyoshi; Zsengeller, Zsuzsanna K; Nakamura, Tomohiro; Hozawa, Atsushi; Karumanchi, S Ananth; Suzuki, Norio; Yamamoto, MasayukiPlacental activation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) plays a key role in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are thought to affect placental angiogenesis, which is critical for preventing preeclampsia pathology. We examined the role of ROS in preeclampsia by genetically modifying the Keap1-Nrf2 pathway, a cellular antioxidant defense system, in a mouse model of RAS-induced preeclampsia. Nrf2 deficiency would be expected to impair cellular antioxidant responses; however, Nrf2 deficiency in preeclamptic mice improved maternal and fetal survival, ameliorated intra-uterine growth retardation, and augmented oxidative DNA damage. Furthermore, the placentas of Nrf2-deficient mice had increased endothelial cell proliferation with dense vascular networks. In contrast, the placentas of preeclamptic mice with overactive Nrf2 showed repressed angiogenesis, which was associated with decreased expression of genes encoding angiogenic chemokines and cytokines. Our findings support the notion that ROS-mediated signaling is essential for maintaining placental angiogenesis in preeclampsia and may provide mechanistic insight into the negative results of clinical trials for antioxidants in preeclampsia.Item Open Access Sex differences in resilience to ferroptosis underlie sexual dimorphism in kidney injury and repair.(Cell reports, 2022-11) Ide, Shintaro; Ide, Kana; Abe, Koki; Kobayashi, Yoshihiko; Kitai, Hiroki; McKey, Jennifer; Strausser, Sarah A; O'Brien, Lori L; Tata, Aleksandra; Tata, Purushothama Rao; Souma, TomokazuIn both humans and mice, repair of acute kidney injury is worse in males than in females. Here, we provide evidence that this sexual dimorphism results from sex differences in ferroptosis, an iron-dependent, lipid-peroxidation-driven regulated cell death. Using genetic and single-cell transcriptomic approaches in mice, we report that female sex confers striking protection against ferroptosis, which was experimentally induced in proximal tubular (PT) cells by deleting glutathione peroxidase 4 (Gpx4). Single-cell transcriptomic analyses further identify the NFE2-related factor 2 (NRF2) antioxidant protective pathway as a female resilience mechanism against ferroptosis. Genetic inhibition and pharmacological activation studies show that NRF2 controls PT cell fate and plasticity by regulating ferroptosis. Importantly, pharmacological NRF2 activation protects male PT cells from ferroptosis and improves cellular plasticity as in females. Our data highlight NRF2 as a potential therapeutic target to prevent failed renal repair after acute kidney injury in both sexes by modulating cellular plasticity.Item Open Access SVEP1 as a Genetic Modifier of TEK-Related Primary Congenital Glaucoma.(Investigative ophthalmology & visual science, 2020-10) Young, Terri L; Whisenhunt, Kristina N; Jin, Jing; LaMartina, Sarah M; Martin, Sean M; Souma, Tomokazu; Limviphuvadh, Vachiranee; Suri, Fatemeh; Souzeau, Emmanuelle; Zhang, Xue; Dan, Yongwook; Anagnos, Evie; Carmona, Susana; Jody, Nicole M; Stangel, Nickie; Higuchi, Emily C; Huang, Samuel J; Siggs, Owen M; Simões, Maria José; Lawson, Brendan M; Martin, Jacob S; Elahi, Elahe; Narooie-Nejad, Mehrnaz; Motlagh, Behzad Fallahi; Quaggin, Susan E; Potter, Heather D; Silva, Eduardo D; Craig, Jamie E; Egas, Conceição; Maroofian, Reza; Maurer-Stroh, Sebastian; Bradfield, Yasmin S; Tompson, Stuart WPurpose:Affecting children by age 3, primary congenital glaucoma (PCG) can cause debilitating vision loss by the developmental impairment of aqueous drainage resulting in high intraocular pressure (IOP), globe enlargement, and optic neuropathy. TEK haploinsufficiency accounts for 5% of PCG in diverse populations, with low penetrance explained by variable dysgenesis of Schlemm's canal (SC) in mice. We report eight families with TEK-related PCG, and provide evidence for SVEP1 as a disease modifier in family 8 with a higher penetrance and severity. Methods:Exome sequencing identified coding/splice site variants with an allele frequency less than 0.0001 (gnomAD). TEK variant effects were assayed in construct-transfected HEK293 cells via detection of autophosphorylated (active) TEK protein. An enucleated eye from an affected member of family 8 was examined via histology. SVEP1 expression in developing outflow tissues was detected by immunofluorescent staining of 7-day mouse anterior segments. SVEP1 stimulation of TEK expression in human umbilical vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs) was measured by TaqMan quantitative PCR. Results:Heterozygous TEK loss-of-function alleles were identified in eight PCG families, with parent-child disease transmission observed in two pedigrees. Family 8 exhibited greater disease penetrance and severity, histology revealed absence of SC in one eye, and SVEP1:p.R997C was identified in four of the five affected individuals. During SC development, SVEP1 is secreted by surrounding tissues. SVEP1:p.R997C abrogates stimulation of TEK expression by HUVECs. Conclusions:We provide further evidence for PCG caused by TEK haploinsufficiency, affirm autosomal dominant inheritance in two pedigrees, and propose SVEP1 as a modifier of TEK expression during SC development, affecting disease penetrance and severity.Item Open Access Transcription factor Nrf2 hyperactivation in early-phase renal ischemia-reperfusion injury prevents tubular damage progression.(Kidney international, 2017-02) Nezu, Masahiro; Souma, Tomokazu; Yu, Lei; Suzuki, Takafumi; Saigusa, Daisuke; Ito, Sadayoshi; Suzuki, Norio; Yamamoto, MasayukiAcute kidney injury is a devastating disease with high morbidity in hospitalized patients and contributes to the pathogenesis of chronic kidney disease. An underlying mechanism of acute kidney injury involves ischemia-reperfusion injury which, in turn, induces oxidative stress and provokes organ damage. Nrf2 is a master transcription factor that regulates the cellular response to oxidative stress. Here, we examined the role of Nrf2 in the progression of ischemia-reperfusion injury-induced kidney damage in mice using genetic and pharmacological approaches. Both global and tubular-specific Nrf2 activation enhanced gene expression of antioxidant and NADPH synthesis enzymes, including glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, and ameliorated both the initiation of injury in the outer medulla and the progression of tubular damage in the cortex. Myeloid-specific Nrf2 activation was ineffective. Short-term administration of the Nrf2 inducer CDDO during the initial phase of injury ameliorated the late phase of tubular damage. This inducer effectively protected the human proximal tubular cell line HK-2 from oxidative stress-mediated cell death while glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase knockdown increased intracellular reactive oxygen species. These findings demonstrate that tubular hyperactivation of Nrf2 in the initial phase of injury prevents the progression of reactive oxygen species-mediated tubular damage by inducing antioxidant enzymes and NADPH synthesis. Thus, Nrf2 may be a promising therapeutic target for preventing acute kidney injury to chronic kidney disease transition.