title: Activation of p53 promotes renal injury in acute aristolochic acid nephropathy.
abstract: Ingestion of aristolochic acid (AA) can cause AA nephropathy (AAN), in which excessive death of tubular epithelial cells (TECs) characterize the acute phase. AA forms adducts with DNA, which may lead to TEC apoptosis via p53-mediated signaling. We tested this hypothesis both by studying p53-deficient mice and by blocking p53 in TECs with its inhibitor pifithrin-alpha. AA induced acute AAN in wild-type mice, resulting in massive apoptotic and necrotic TEC death and acute renal failure; p53 deficiency or pharmacologic inhibition attenuated this injury. In vitro, AA induced apoptotic and necrotic death of TEC in a time- and dosage-dependent manner, with apoptosis marked by a 10-fold increase in cleaved caspase-3 and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated digoxigenin-deoxyuridine nick-end labeling-positive/Annexin V-positive propidium iodide-negative TECs (all P < 0.001). AA induced dephosphorylation of STAT3 and the subsequent activation of p53 and TEC apoptosis. In contrast, overexpression of STAT3, p53 inhibition, or p53 knockdown with small interfering RNA all attenuated AA-induced TEC apoptosis. Taken together, these results suggest that AA induces TEC death via apoptosis by dephosphorylation of STAT3 and posttranslational activation of p53, supporting the hypothesis that p53 promotes renal injury in acute AAN.
authors.affiliation: Division of Nephrology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Xiao R
authors.initials: XR
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Kar Neng
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: Hui Y
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Lan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D034341:Aristolochic Acids / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000494:pharmacology; D052160:Benzothiazoles / Q000494:pharmacology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D007683:Kidney Tubular Necrosis, Acute / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D007684:Kidney Tubules / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D010766:Phosphorylation; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D014050:Toluene / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D034341:Aristolochic Acids; D052160:Benzothiazoles; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor; C494087:Stat3 protein, mouse; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53; D014050:Toluene; C000228:aristolochic acid I; C121565:pifithrin