Abstract |
Autophagy plays a crucial role in the development and progression of ischemic acute kidney injury (AKI). However, the function and mechanism of circular RNAs ( circRNAs) in the regulation of autophagy in ischemic AKI remain unexplored. Herein, we find that circ-ZNF609, originating from the ZNF609 locus, is highly expressed in the kidney after ischemia/reperfusion injury, and urinary circ-ZNF609 is a moderate predictor for AKI in heart disease patients. Overexpression of circ-ZNF609 can activate AKT3/mTOR signaling and induce autophagy flux impairment and cell apoptosis while inhibiting proliferation in HK-2 cells, which is blocked by silencing circ-ZNF609. Mechanistically, circ-ZNF609 encodes a functional protein consisting of 250 amino acids (aa), termed ZNF609-250aa, the overexpression of which can activate AKT3/mTOR signaling and induce autophagy flux impairment and cell apoptosis in HK-2 cells in vitro and in AKI kidneys in vivo. The blockade of AKT and mTOR signaling with pharmacological inhibitors is capable of reversing ZNF609-250aa-induced autophagy flux impairment and cell apoptosis in HK-2 cells. The present study demonstrates that highly expressed circ-ZNF609-encoded ZNF609-250aa induces cell apoptosis and AKI by impairing the autophagy flux via an AKT/mTOR-dependent mechanism. These findings imply that targeting circ-ZNF609 may be a novel therapy for ischemic AKI.
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Authors | Xin Ouyang, Zhimei He, Heng Fang, Huidan Zhang, Qi Yin, Linhui Hu, Fei Gao, Hao Yin, Taofang Hao, Yating Hou, Qingrui Wu, Jia Deng, Jing Xu, Yirong Wang, Chunbo Chen |
Journal | Molecular therapy : the journal of the American Society of Gene Therapy
(Mol Ther)
Vol. 31
Issue 6
Pg. 1722-1738
(Jun 07 2023)
ISSN: 1525-0024 [Electronic] United States |
PMID | 36110046
(Publication Type: Journal Article)
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Copyright | Copyright © 2022 The American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. |
Chemical References |
- Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt
- RNA, Circular
- TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases
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Topics |
- Humans
- Acute Kidney Injury
(genetics)
- Apoptosis
(genetics)
- Autophagy
(genetics)
- Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt
(genetics, metabolism)
- RNA, Circular
(genetics, metabolism)
- TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases
(genetics, metabolism)
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