Project description:Digenic Alport syndrome refers to the inheritance of pathogenic variants in COL4A5 plus COL4A3 or COL4A4 or in COL4A3 plus COL4A4 Where digenic Alport syndrome includes a pathogenic COL4A5 variant, the consequences depend on the sex of the affected individual, COL4A5 variant "severity," and the nature of the COL4A3 or COL4A4 change. A man with a pathogenic COL4A5 variant has all his collagen IV α3α4α5-heterotrimers affected, and an additional COL4A3 or COL4A4 variant may not worsen disease. A woman with a pathogenic COL4A5 variant has on average 50% of her heterotrimers affected, which is increased to 75% with a further COL4A3 or COL4A4 variant and associated with a higher risk of proteinuria. In digenic Alport syndrome with pathogenic COL4A3 and COL4A4 variants, 75% of the heterotrimers are affected. The COL4A3 and COL4A4 genes occur head-to-head on chromosome 2, and inheritance is autosomal dominant when both variants affect the same chromosome (in cis) or recessive when they affect different chromosomes (in trans). This form of digenic disease results in increased proteinuria and a median age of kidney failure intermediate between autosomal dominant and autosomal recessive Alport syndrome. Previous guidelines have suggested that all pathogenic or likely pathogenic digenic variants should be identified and reported. Affected family members should be identified, treated, and discouraged from kidney donation. Inheritance within a family is easier to predict if the two variants are considered independently and if COL4A3 and COL4A4 variants are known to be inherited on the same or different chromosomes.
Project description:Histone deacetylases have been a target of therapy for organ fibrosis. Here, we report the protective effect of CG200745 (CG), a novel histone deacetylase inhibitor, on tubulointerstitial fibrosis in Col4a3-/- mice, a murine model of Alport syndrome. Morphological analyses revealed CG treatment markedly alleviated kidney fibrosis in Col4a3-/- mice at the age of 7 weeks. CG prevented the activation of transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) and its downstream SMAD signaling in the kidney of Col4a3-/- mice. As critical upstream regulators of TGFβ signaling, immunoblotting of whole kidney lysate of Col4a3-/- mice reveled that intra-renal renin-angiotensin system (RAS) was activated with concurrent upregulation of inflammation and apoptosis, which were effectively suppressed by CG treatment. CG suppressed both activation of RAS and up-regulation of TGFβ signals in angiotensin II-stimulated HK-2 cells, a human kidney proximal tubular epithelial cell line. CG inhibited activation of TGFβ-driven signals and fibrosis in NRK-49F cells, a rat kidney fibroblast cell line, under angiotensin II-rich conditions. Collectively, CG was found to be effective both in proximal tubular epithelial cells by inhibiting local RAS and TGFβ signaling activation, as well as in fibroblasts by blocking their transition to myofibroblasts, attenuating renal fibrosis in a murine model of Alport syndrome.
Project description:Alport syndrome (AS) is a severe inherited glomerulopathy caused by mutations in the genes encoding the α-chains of type-IV collagen, the most abundant component of the extracellular glomerular basement membrane (GBM). Currently most AS mouse models are knockout models for one of the collagen-IV genes. In contrast, about half of AS patients have missense mutations, with single aminoacid substitutions of glycine being the most common. The only mouse model for AS with a homozygous knockin missense mutation, Col4a3-p.Gly1332Glu, was partly described before by our group. Here, a detailed in-depth description of the same mouse is presented, along with another compound heterozygous mouse that carries the glycine substitution in trans with a knockout allele. Both mice recapitulate essential features of AS, including shorten lifespan by 30-35%, increased proteinuria, increased serum urea and creatinine, pathognomonic alternate GBM thinning and thickening, and podocyte foot process effacement. Notably, glomeruli and tubuli respond differently to mutant collagen-IV protomers, with reduced expression in tubules but apparently normal in glomeruli. However, equally important is the fact that in the glomeruli the mutant α3-chain as well as the normal α4/α5 chains seem to undergo a cleavage at, or near the point of the mutation, possibly by the metalloproteinase MMP-9, producing a 35 kDa C-terminal fragment. These mouse models represent a good tool for better understanding the spectrum of molecular mechanisms governing collagen-IV nephropathies and could be used for pre-clinical studies aimed at better treatments for AS.
Project description:Alport syndrome affects up to 60,000 people in the United States. The proposed reclassification of thin basement membrane nephropathy and some cases of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis as Alport syndrome could substantially increase the affected population. The reclassification scheme categorizes Alport syndrome as 3 distinct diseases of type IV collagen α3/4/5 based on a genetic evaluation: X-linked, autosomal, and digenic. This approach has the advantage of identifying patients at risk for progressive loss of kidney function. Furthermore, the shared molecular cause of Alport syndrome and thin basement membrane nephropathy arises from mutations in the COL4A3, COL4A4, and COL4A5 genes, which contribute to downstream pathophysiologic consequences, including chronic kidney inflammation. Recent evidence indicates that chronic inflammation and its regulation through anti-inflammatory nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and proinflammatory nuclear factor κ-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) transcription factors plays a central role in renal tubular and glomerular cell responses to injury. Crosstalk between the Nrf2 and NF-κB pathways is important in the regulation of inflammation in patients with chronic kidney disease; moreover, there is evidence that an insufficient Nrf2 response to inflammation contributes to disease progression. Given the association between type IV collagen abnormalities and chronic inflammation, there is renewed interest in targeted anti-inflammatory therapies in Alport syndrome and other forms of progressive chronic kidney disease.
Project description:Alport syndrome (AS) is a hereditary kidney disease associated with proteinuria, hematuria and progressive kidney failure. It is characterized by a defective glomerular basement membrane caused by mutations in type IV collagen genes COL4A3/A4/A5 which result in defective type IV collagen α3, α4, or α5 chains, respectively. Alport syndrome has three different patterns of inheritance: X-linked, autosomal and digenic. In a study of CKD of unknown etiology type IV collagen gene mutations accounted for the majority of the cases of hereditary glomerulopathies which suggests that AS is often underrecognized. The natural history and prognosis in patients with AS is variable and is determined by genetics and environmental factors. At present, no preventive or curative therapies exist for AS. Current treatment includes the use of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors which slow progression of kidney disease and prolong life expectancy. Ramipril was found in retrospective studies to delay the onset of ESKD and was recently demonstrated to be safe and effective in children and adolescents, supporting that early initiation of Renin Angiotensin Aldosterone System (RAAS) blockade is very important. Mineralocorticoid receptor blockers might be favorable for patients who develop "aldosterone breakthrough." While the DAPA-CKD trial suggests a beneficial effect of SGLT2 inhibitors in CKD of non-metabolic origin, only a handful of patients had Alport in this cohort, and therefore conclusions can't be extrapolated for the treatment of AS with SGLT2 inhibitors. Advances in our understanding on the pathogenesis of Alport syndrome has culminated in the development of innovative therapeutic approaches that are currently under investigation. We will provide a brief overview of novel therapeutic targets to prevent progression of kidney disease in AS. Our review will include bardoxolone methyl, an oral NRf2 activator; lademirsen, an anti-miRNA-21 molecule; sparsentan, dual endothelin type A receptor (ETAR) and angiotensin 1 receptor inhibitor; atrasentan, oral selective ETAR inhibitor; lipid-modifying agents, including cholesterol efflux transporter ATP-binding cassette A1 (ABCA1) inducers, discoidin domain receptor 1 (DDR1) inhibitors and osteopontin blocking agents; the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine; the antiglycemic drug metformin and the active vitamin D analog paricalcitol. Future genomic therapeutic strategies such as chaperone therapy, genome editing and stem cell therapy will also be discussed.
Project description:In this commentary, I review recent advances in Alport syndrome genetics, diagnostics, and therapeutics. I also offer some opinions regarding strategies to optimize the early identification of affected individuals to promote early therapeutic intervention.
Project description:A seminal study recently demonstrated that bromide (Br-) has a critical function in the assembly of type IV collagen in basement membrane (BM), and suggested that Br- supplementation has therapeutic potential for BM diseases. Because salts of bromide (KBr and NaBr) have been used as antiepileptic drugs for several decades, repositioning of Br- for BM diseases is probable. However, the effects of Br- on glomerular basement membrane (GBM) disease such as Alport syndrome (AS) and its impact on the kidney are still unknown. In this study, we administered daily for 16 weeks 75 mg/kg or 250 mg/kg (within clinical dosage) NaBr or NaCl (control) via drinking water to 6-week-old AS mice (mouse model of X-linked AS). Treatment with 75 mg/kg NaBr had no effect on AS progression. Surprisingly, compared with 250 mg/kg NaCl, 250 mg/kg NaBr exacerbated the progressive proteinuria and increased the serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen in AS mice. Histological analysis revealed that glomerular injury, renal inflammation and fibrosis were exacerbated in mice treated with 250 mg/kg NaBr compared with NaCl. The expressions of renal injury markers (Lcn2, Lysozyme), matrix metalloproteinase (Mmp-12), pro-inflammatory cytokines (Il-6, Il-8, Tnf-α, Il-1β) and pro-fibrotic genes (Tgf-β, Col1a1, α-Sma) were also exacerbated by 250 mg/kg NaBr treatment. Notably, the exacerbating effects of Br- were not observed in wild-type mice. These findings suggest that Br- supplementation needs to be carefully evaluated for real positive health benefits and for the absence of adverse side effects especially in GBM diseases such as AS.