Caspase-11/4 and gasdermin D-mediated pyroptosis contributes to podocyte injury in mouse diabetic nephropathy

• Published in: Acta pharmacologica Sinica Vol. 42; no. 6; pp. 954 - 963
• Main Authors: Cheng, Qian, Pan, Jing, Zhou, Zhuan-li, Yin, Fan, Xie, Hong-yan, Chen, Pan-pan, Li, Jing-yao, Zheng, Pei-qing, Zhou, Li, Zhang, Wei, Liu, Jun, Lu, Li-min
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Singapore Springer Singapore 01.06.2021; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: Animals; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Caspase-11; Caspase-4; Caspases, Initiator - genetics; Caspases, Initiator - metabolism; Cell death; Cells, Cultured; Creatinine; Diabetes; Diabetes mellitus; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental - chemically induced; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental - metabolism; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental - pathology; Diabetic Nephropathies - complications; Diabetic Nephropathies - metabolism; Diabetic Nephropathies - pathology; Diabetic nephropathy; Diet, High-Fat; Gene Knockout Techniques; Glucose - pharmacology; High fat diet; Humans; Hyperglycemia; IL-1β; Immunology; Inflammation; Inflammation - etiology; Inflammation - metabolism; Inflammation - pathology; Interleukin 18; Internal Medicine; Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins - genetics; Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins - metabolism; Kidney Glomerulus - pathology; Macrophages; Macrophages - metabolism; Male; Medical Microbiology; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Nephropathy; NF-κB protein; Parenchyma; Pharmacology/Toxicology; Phosphate-Binding Proteins - genetics; Phosphate-Binding Proteins - metabolism; Podocytes - drug effects; Podocytes - metabolism; Proteinuria; Pyroptosis; Pyroptosis - physiology; siRNA; Streptozocin; Vaccine; pyroptosis; caspase-11; gasdermin-D; diabetic nephropathy; podocyte
• DOI: 10.1038/s41401-020-00525-z
• ISSN: 1671-4083

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is characterized by sterile inflammation with continuous injury and loss of renal inherent parenchyma cells. Podocyte is an essential early injury target in DN. The injury and loss of podocytes are closely associated with proteinuria, the early symptom of renal injury in DN. However, the exact mechanism for podocyte injury and death in DN remains ambiguous. In this study we investigated whether pyroptosis, a newly discovered cell death pathway was involved in DN. Diabetic mice were generated by high-fat diet/STZ injections. We showed that the expression levels of caspase-11 and cleavage of gasdermin D (GSDMD-N) in podocytes were significantly elevated, accompanied by reduced expression of podocyte makers nephrin and podocin, loss and fusion in podocyte foot processes, increased inflammatory cytokines NF-κB, IL-1β, and IL-18, macrophage infiltration, glomerular matrix expansion and increased urinary albumin to creatinine ratio (UACR). All these changes in diabetic mice were blunted by knockout of caspase-11 or GSDMD. Cultured human and mouse podocytes were treated with high glucose (30 mM), which significantly increased the expression levels of caspase-11 or caspase-4 (the homolog of caspase-11 in human), GSDMD-N, NF-κB, IL-1β, and IL-18, and decreased the expression of nephrin and podocin. Either caspase-4 or GSDMD knockdown by siRNA significantly blunted these changes. In summary, our results demonstrate that caspase-11/4 and GSDMD-mediated pyroptosis is activated and involved in podocyte loss under hyperglycemia condition and the development of DN.