Cellular and Molecular Basis of Cardiovascular and Kidney Disease

A special issue of Cells (ISSN 2073-4409). This special issue belongs to the section "Cellular Pathology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2023) | Viewed by 5006

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Department of Medicine, The University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH 43614, USA
2. Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH 43614, USA
Interests: cardio-renal syndrome; oxidant stress; inflammation; diastolic function; volume regulation; exposure science; public health
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Department of Medicine, The University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH 43614, USA
2. Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH 43614, USA
Interests: acute and chronic kidney disease; oxidant stress; inflammation; exposure science
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the greatest public health concerns and is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States and worldwide. CVD is a broad yet complex term referring to numerous heart and vascular conditions, all with varying pathologies. By definition, the heart and vasculature have cellular and molecular intersections with interrelated organ systems such as the kidney, lungs, liver, and gut. While CVD is precipitated by cardiometabolic risk and kidney disease, there are numerous counter-regulatory mechanisms driving disease risk that remain to be elucidated. Thus, newly discovered mechanisms are increasingly being incorporated into novel therapeutic targets and strategies. This Special Issue aims to collect papers discussing such novel aspects of cardiovascular and kidney disease research, from basic science to clinical translation.

Dr. David J. Kennedy
Dr. Steven T. Haller
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cells is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Published Papers (3 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

19 pages, 12868 KiB  
Article
PFKFB3-Mediated Glycolysis Boosts Fibroblast Activation and Subsequent Kidney Fibrosis
by Qiuhua Yang, Emily Huo, Yongfeng Cai, Zhidan Zhang, Charles Dong, John M. Asara and Qingqing Wei
Cells 2023, 12(16), 2081; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells12162081 - 17 Aug 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1365
Abstract
Renal fibrosis, a hallmark of chronic kidney diseases, is driven by the activation of renal fibroblasts. Recent studies have highlighted the role of glycolysis in this process. Nevertheless, one critical glycolytic activator, 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase 3 (PFKFB3), remains unexplored in renal fibrosis. Upon reanalyzing the [...] Read more.
Renal fibrosis, a hallmark of chronic kidney diseases, is driven by the activation of renal fibroblasts. Recent studies have highlighted the role of glycolysis in this process. Nevertheless, one critical glycolytic activator, 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase 3 (PFKFB3), remains unexplored in renal fibrosis. Upon reanalyzing the single-cell sequencing data from Dr. Humphreys’ lab, we noticed an upregulation of glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, and the TGFβ signaling pathway in myofibroblasts from fibrotic kidneys after unilateral ureter obstruction (UUO) or kidney ischemia/reperfusion. Furthermore, our experiments showed significant induction of PFKFB3 in mouse kidneys following UUO or kidney ischemia/reperfusion. To delve deeper into the role of PFKFB3, we generated mice with Pfkfb3 deficiency, specifically in myofibroblasts (Pfkfb3f/f/PostnMCM). Following UUO or kidney ischemia/reperfusion, a substantial decrease in fibrosis in the injured kidneys of Pfkfb3f/f/PostnMCM mice was identified compared to their wild-type littermates. Additionally, in cultured renal fibroblast NRK-49F cells, PFKFB3 was elevated upon exposure to TGFβ1, accompanied by an increase in α-SMA and fibronectin. Notably, this upregulation was significantly diminished with PFKFB3 knockdown, correlated with glycolysis suppression. Mechanistically, the glycolytic metabolite lactate promoted the fibrotic activation of NRK-49F cells. In conclusion, our study demonstrates the critical role of PFKFB3 in driving fibroblast activation and subsequent renal fibrosis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cellular and Molecular Basis of Cardiovascular and Kidney Disease)
Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 4362 KiB  
Article
SGK1 Target Genes Involved in Heart and Blood Vessel Functions in PC12 Cells
by Yu-He Li, Chia-Cheng Sun, Po-Ming Chen and Hsin-Hung Chen
Cells 2023, 12(12), 1641; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells12121641 - 15 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1367
Abstract
Serum and glucocorticoid-regulated kinase 1 (SGK1) is expressed in neuronal cells and involved in the pathogenesis of hypertension and metabolic syndrome, regulation of neuronal function, and depression in the brain. This study aims to identify the cellular mechanisms and signaling pathways of SGK1 [...] Read more.
Serum and glucocorticoid-regulated kinase 1 (SGK1) is expressed in neuronal cells and involved in the pathogenesis of hypertension and metabolic syndrome, regulation of neuronal function, and depression in the brain. This study aims to identify the cellular mechanisms and signaling pathways of SGK1 in neuronal cells. In this study, the SGK1 inhibitor GSK650394 is used to suppress SGK1 expression in PC12 cells using an in vitro neuroscience research platform. Comparative transcriptomic analysis was performed to investigate the effects of SGK1 inhibition in nervous cells using mRNA sequencing (RNA-seq), differentially expressed genes (DEGs), and gene enrichment analysis. In total, 12,627 genes were identified, including 675 and 2152 DEGs at 48 and 72 h after treatment with GSK650394 in PC12 cells, respectively. Gene enrichment analysis data indicated that SGK1 inhibition-induced DEGs were enriched in 94 and 173 genes associated with vascular development and functional regulation and were validated using real-time PCR, Western blotting, and GEPIA2. Therefore, this study uses RNA-seq, DEG analysis, and GEPIA2 correlation analysis to identify positive candidate genes and signaling pathways regulated by SGK1 in rat nervous cells, which will enable further exploration of the underlying molecular signaling mechanisms of SGK1 and provide new insights into neuromodulation in cardiovascular diseases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cellular and Molecular Basis of Cardiovascular and Kidney Disease)
Show Figures

Figure 1

21 pages, 4103 KiB  
Article
Hypercontractile Cardiac Phenotype in Mice with Migraine-Associated Mutation in the Na+,K+-ATPase α2-Isoform
by Rajkumar Rajanathan, Clàudia Vilaseca i Riera, Tina Myhre Pedersen, Christian Staehr, Elena V. Bouzinova, Jens Randel Nyengaard, Morten B. Thomsen, Hans Erik Bøtker and Vladimir V. Matchkov
Cells 2023, 12(8), 1108; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells12081108 - 07 Apr 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1908
Abstract
Two α-isoforms of the Na+,K+-ATPase (α1 and α2) are expressed in the cardiovascular system, and it is unclear which isoform is the preferential regulator of contractility. Mice heterozygous for the familial hemiplegic migraine type 2 (FHM2) [...] Read more.
Two α-isoforms of the Na+,K+-ATPase (α1 and α2) are expressed in the cardiovascular system, and it is unclear which isoform is the preferential regulator of contractility. Mice heterozygous for the familial hemiplegic migraine type 2 (FHM2) associated mutation in the α2-isoform (G301R; α2+/G301R mice) have decreased expression of cardiac α2-isoform but elevated expression of the α1-isoform. We aimed to investigate the contribution of the α2-isoform function to the cardiac phenotype of α2+/G301R hearts. We hypothesized that α2+/G301R hearts exhibit greater contractility due to reduced expression of cardiac α2-isoform. Variables for contractility and relaxation of isolated hearts were assessed in the Langendorff system without and in the presence of ouabain (1 µM). Atrial pacing was performed to investigate rate-dependent changes. The α2+/G301R hearts displayed greater contractility than WT hearts during sinus rhythm, which was rate-dependent. The inotropic effect of ouabain was more augmented in α2+/G301R hearts than in WT hearts during sinus rhythm and atrial pacing. In conclusion, cardiac contractility was greater in α2+/G301R hearts than in WT hearts under resting conditions. The inotropic effect of ouabain was rate-independent and enhanced in α2+/G301R hearts, which was associated with increased systolic work. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cellular and Molecular Basis of Cardiovascular and Kidney Disease)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop