Injured Proximal Tubular Epithelial Cells Lose Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 4α Expression Crucial for Brush Border Formation and Transport
(2025) In American Journal of Pathology 195(5). p.845-860- Abstract
Recent studies have demonstrated that the transcription factor hepatocyte nuclear factor 4α (HNF4A) drives epithelial differentiation in the renal proximal tubules (PTs) and is critical for maintaining a mature PT phenotype. Furthermore, HNF4A down-regulation has been observed following kidney injury in mouse models. The aim of the present work was to investigate the role of HNF4A during acute and chronic human kidney disease and the loss of the mature PT phenotype in cultured PT cells. Loss of HNF4A expression and gain of vimentin expression were reciprocal and gradual during both acute and chronic kidney disease, as indicated by immunohistochemistry. Healthy human kidneys demonstrated partial or total loss of HNF4A expression in... (More)
Recent studies have demonstrated that the transcription factor hepatocyte nuclear factor 4α (HNF4A) drives epithelial differentiation in the renal proximal tubules (PTs) and is critical for maintaining a mature PT phenotype. Furthermore, HNF4A down-regulation has been observed following kidney injury in mouse models. The aim of the present work was to investigate the role of HNF4A during acute and chronic human kidney disease and the loss of the mature PT phenotype in cultured PT cells. Loss of HNF4A expression and gain of vimentin expression were reciprocal and gradual during both acute and chronic kidney disease, as indicated by immunohistochemistry. Healthy human kidneys demonstrated partial or total loss of HNF4A expression in vimentin-positive scattered tubular cells. Primary cell isolation and subculture of PT cells recapitulated HNF4A-associated loss of the PT phenotype. Re-expression of HNF4A in cultured PT cells by adenoviral transduction increased transcripts related to brush border formation as well as absorptive and transport processes, as shown by RNA sequencing and gene set enrichment analyses. Thus, the reduction of HNF4A and increase of vimentin expression were connected to both acute and chronic kidney disease and represented a stereotypic injury response of the PT, resulting in dedifferentiation. HNF4A re-expression in cultured primary PT cells could provide a more reliable and predictive in vitro model to study PT function and injury.
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- author
- Kha, Michelle ; Magnusson, Ylva ; Johansson, Iva ; Altiparmak, Gülay ; Lundgren, Jaana ; Nyström, Jenny ; Ebefors, Kerstin ; Swärd, Karl LU and Johansson, Martin E.
- organization
- publishing date
- 2025-05
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- in
- American Journal of Pathology
- volume
- 195
- issue
- 5
- pages
- 16 pages
- publisher
- American Society for Investigative Pathology
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:105002414731
- pmid:39954965
- ISSN
- 0002-9440
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.ajpath.2025.01.011
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- bc456542-2dba-42db-8f66-2669a2760911
- date added to LUP
- 2025-08-15 14:25:42
- date last changed
- 2025-09-12 16:18:56
@article{bc456542-2dba-42db-8f66-2669a2760911,
abstract = {{<p>Recent studies have demonstrated that the transcription factor hepatocyte nuclear factor 4α (HNF4A) drives epithelial differentiation in the renal proximal tubules (PTs) and is critical for maintaining a mature PT phenotype. Furthermore, HNF4A down-regulation has been observed following kidney injury in mouse models. The aim of the present work was to investigate the role of HNF4A during acute and chronic human kidney disease and the loss of the mature PT phenotype in cultured PT cells. Loss of HNF4A expression and gain of vimentin expression were reciprocal and gradual during both acute and chronic kidney disease, as indicated by immunohistochemistry. Healthy human kidneys demonstrated partial or total loss of HNF4A expression in vimentin-positive scattered tubular cells. Primary cell isolation and subculture of PT cells recapitulated HNF4A-associated loss of the PT phenotype. Re-expression of HNF4A in cultured PT cells by adenoviral transduction increased transcripts related to brush border formation as well as absorptive and transport processes, as shown by RNA sequencing and gene set enrichment analyses. Thus, the reduction of HNF4A and increase of vimentin expression were connected to both acute and chronic kidney disease and represented a stereotypic injury response of the PT, resulting in dedifferentiation. HNF4A re-expression in cultured primary PT cells could provide a more reliable and predictive in vitro model to study PT function and injury.</p>}},
author = {{Kha, Michelle and Magnusson, Ylva and Johansson, Iva and Altiparmak, Gülay and Lundgren, Jaana and Nyström, Jenny and Ebefors, Kerstin and Swärd, Karl and Johansson, Martin E.}},
issn = {{0002-9440}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{5}},
pages = {{845--860}},
publisher = {{American Society for Investigative Pathology}},
series = {{American Journal of Pathology}},
title = {{Injured Proximal Tubular Epithelial Cells Lose Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 4α Expression Crucial for Brush Border Formation and Transport}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ajpath.2025.01.011}},
doi = {{10.1016/j.ajpath.2025.01.011}},
volume = {{195}},
year = {{2025}},
}