Selective Targeting of Vascular Endothelial YAP Activity Blocks EndMT and Ameliorates Unilateral Ureteral Obstruction-Induced Kidney Fibrosis.

ABSTRACT: Kidney fibrosis is accompanied by vascular dysfunction. Discovering new ways to ameliorate dysfunctional angiogenesis may bypass kidney fibrosis. YAP (Yes-associated protein) plays a multifaceted role during angiogenesis. Here, we found that selectively targeting YAP signaling in the endothelium ameliorates unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO)-induced kidney fibrosis. Genetic deletion of Yap1, encoding YAP protein, in VE-cadherin⁺ endothelial cells inhibited endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) and dysfunctional angiogenesis and improved obstructive nephropathy and kidney fibrosis. Treatment with the systemic YAP inhibitor verteporfin worsened kidney fibrosis symptoms because of its lack of cell specificity. In an attempt to identify endothelial-specific YAP mod

SUBMITTER: Ren Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8204321 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature