title: KLF15 suppresses cell proliferation and extracellular matrix expression in mesangial cells under high glucose.
abstract: Excess mesangial extracellular matrix (ECM) and mesangial cell (MC) proliferation is the major pathologic feature of diabetic nephropathy. Kruppel-like factor 15 (KLF15) is a member of the KLF transcription factor family that plays a critical role in regulating renal fibrosis. However, the role of KLF15 in diabetic nephropathy remains poorly understood. This study was conducted to explore the role of KLF15 in the development and progress of diabetic nephropathy in high glucose (HG)-stimulated human MCs. Here, we found down-regulated expression of KLF15 in MCs induced by HG. Overexpression of KLF15 significantly inhibited MCs proliferation and ECM production induced by HG. Moreover, overexpression of KLF15 inhibited HG-induced ERK1/2 phosphorylation in MCs. In summary, our data demonstrate that KLF15 can suppress HG-induced cell proliferation and ECM protein fibronectin expression in human MCs via ERK1/2 MAPK signaling. The results provide evidence that KLF15 might be a potential molecular target for the treatment of diabetic nephropathy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Tongmin Branch Court Xiamen 361000, China.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Tongmin Branch Court Xiamen 361000, China.
authors.forename: Hong-Bin
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Zhong
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Tongmin Branch Court Xiamen 361000, China.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Medical College Xiamen University Xiamen 361102, China.
authors.forename: Wang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Tongmin Branch Court Xiamen 361000, China.
authors.forename: Ji-Yi
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Huang
keywords: Kruppel-like factor 15 (KLF15); diabetic nephropathy; extracellular matrix (ECM; mesangial cells (MCs)