In vivo Modeling Implicates APOL1 in Nephropathy: Evidence for Dominant Negative Effects and Epistasis under Anemic Stress.

Anderson, Blair R

Howell, David N

Soldano, Karen

Garrett, Melanie E

Katsanis, Nicholas

Telen, Marilyn J

Davis, Erica E

Ashley-Koch, Allison E

Barsh, Gregory S

United States

2015-11-06T19:15:07Z

2015-07

African Americans have a disproportionate risk for developing nephropathy. This disparity has been attributed to coding variants (G1 and G2) in apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1); however, there is little functional evidence supporting the role of this protein in renal function. Here, we combined genetics and in vivo modeling to examine the role of apol1 in glomerular development and pronephric filtration and to test the pathogenic potential of APOL1 G1 and G2. Translational suppression or CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing of apol1 in zebrafish embryos results in podocyte loss and glomerular filtration defects. Complementation of apol1 morphants with wild-type human APOL1 mRNA rescues these defects. However, the APOL1 G1 risk allele does not ameliorate defects caused by apol1 suppression and the pathogenicity is conferred by the cis effect of both individual variants of the G1 risk haplotype (I384M/S342G). In vivo complementation studies of the G2 risk allele also indicate that the variant is deleterious to protein function. Moreover, APOL1 G2, but not G1, expression alone promotes developmental kidney defects, suggesting a possible dominant-negative effect of the altered protein. In sickle cell disease (SCD) patients, we reported previously a genetic interaction between APOL1 and MYH9. Testing this interaction in vivo by co-suppressing both transcripts yielded no additive effects. However, upon genetic or chemical induction of anemia, we observed a significantly exacerbated nephropathy phenotype. Furthermore, concordant with the genetic interaction observed in SCD patients, APOL1 G2 reduces myh9 expression in vivo, suggesting a possible interaction between the altered APOL1 and myh9. Our data indicate a critical role for APOL1 in renal function that is compromised by nephropathy-risk encoding variants. Moreover, our interaction studies indicate that the MYH9 locus is also relevant to the phenotype in a stressed microenvironment and suggest that consideration of the context-dependent functions of both proteins will be required to develop therapeutic paradigms.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26147622

PGENETICS-D-15-01120

1553-7404

https://hdl.handle.net/10161/10832

eng

Public Library of Science (PLoS)

PLoS Genet

10.1371/journal.pgen.1005349

Animals

Apolipoproteins

Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats

Flow Cytometry

Gene Knockdown Techniques

Genetic Predisposition to Disease

Genetic Variation

Glomerular Filtration Rate

Glomerulonephritis, Membranous

Humans

Kidney Glomerulus

Lipoproteins, HDL

Microscopy, Electron, Transmission

Molecular Motor Proteins

Morpholinos

Myosin Heavy Chains

Zebrafish

In vivo Modeling Implicates APOL1 in Nephropathy: Evidence for Dominant Negative Effects and Epistasis under Anemic Stress.

Journal article

Telen, Marilyn J|0000-0003-3809-1780

Davis, Erica E|0000-0002-2412-8397

Ashley-Koch, Allison E|0000-0001-5409-9155

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26147622

e1005349

7

Basic Science Departments

Biostatistics & Bioinformatics

Cell Biology

Center for Child and Family Policy

Clinical Science Departments

Duke

Duke Cancer Institute

Duke Institute for Brain Sciences

Duke Molecular Physiology Institute

Institutes and Centers

Institutes and Provost's Academic Units

Medicine

Medicine, Hematology

Medicine, Nephrology

Molecular Genetics and Microbiology

Pathology

Pediatrics

Pediatrics, Neonatology

Sanford School of Public Policy

School of Medicine

University Institutes and Centers

Published online

11