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- Butt, Linus, et al.
(författare)
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A molecular mechanism explaining albuminuria in kidney disease
- 2020
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Ingår i: Nature Metabolism. - : Springer Nature. - 2522-5812. ; 2:5, s. 461-474
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Mammalian kidneys constantly filter large amounts of liquid, with almost complete retention of albumin and other macromolecules in the plasma. Breakdown of the three-layered renal filtration barrier results in loss of albumin into urine (albuminuria) across the wall of small renal capillaries, and is a leading cause of chronic kidney disease. However, exactly how the renal filter works and why its permeability is altered in kidney diseases is poorly understood. Here we show that the permeability of the renal filter is modulated through compression of the capillary wall. We collect morphometric data prior to and after onset of albuminuria in a mouse model equivalent to a human genetic disease affecting the renal filtration barrier. Combining quantitative analyses with mathematical modelling, we demonstrate that morphological alterations of the glomerular filtration barrier lead to reduced compressive forces that counteract filtration pressure, thereby resulting in capillary dilatation, and ultimately albuminuria. Our results reveal distinct functions of the different layers of the filtration barrier and expand the molecular understanding of defective renal filtration in chronic kidney disease.
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Butt, Linus, et al.
(författare)
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Super-Resolution Imaging of the Filtration Barrier Suggests a Role for Podocin R229Q in Genetic Predisposition to Glomerular Disease
- 2021
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Ingår i: Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. - : Wolters Kluwer. - 1046-6673 .- 1533-3450. ; 33:1, s. 138-154
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Significance Statement Podocin R229Q results from the most frequent missense variant in NPHS2, and its association with FSGS when podocin R229Q is transassociated with a second mutation in NPHS2 is well recognized. However, because results from observational studies are ambiguous and appropriate animal studies are lacking, its isolated pathogenic potency is not entirely clear. In this study, the authors introduced this genetic alteration in mice and assessed the phenotype using super-resolution microscopy and albuminuria measurements. They demonstrated a deleterious effect of the variant on podocyte morphology and on the integrity of the glomerular filtration barrier under basal conditions and after external glomerular injury. Because this finding suggests that this mutation confers a genetic predisposition to glomerular disease, it has implications for a large number of carriers worldwide.Background Diseases of the kidney’s glomerular filtration barrier are a leading cause of end stage renal failure. Despite a growing understanding of genes involved in glomerular disorders in children, the vast majority of adult patients lack a clear genetic diagnosis. The protein podocin p.R229Q, which results from the most common missense variant in NPHS2, is enriched in cohorts of patients with FSGS. However, p.R229Q has been proposed to cause disease only when transassociated with specific additional genetic alterations, and population-based epidemiologic studies on its association with albuminuria yielded ambiguous results.Methods To test whether podocin p.R229Q may also predispose to the complex disease pathogenesis in adults, we introduced the exact genetic alteration in mice using CRISPR/Cas9-based genome editing (PodR231Q). We assessed the phenotype using super-resolution microscopy and albuminuria measurements and evaluated the stability of the mutant protein in cell culture experiments.Results Heterozygous PodR231Q/wild-type mice did not present any overt kidney disease or proteinuria. However, homozygous PodR231Q/R231Q mice developed increased levels of albuminuria with age, and super-resolution microscopy revealed preceding ultrastructural morphologic alterations that were recently linked to disease predisposition. When injected with nephrotoxic serum to induce glomerular injury, heterozygous PodR231Q/wild-type mice showed a more severe course of disease compared with Podwild-type/wild-type mice. Podocin protein levels were decreased in PodR231Q/wild-type and PodR231Q/R231Q mice as well as in human cultured podocytes expressing the podocinR231Q variant. Our in vitro experiments indicate an underlying increased proteasomal degradation.Conclusions Our findings demonstrate that podocin R231Q exerts a pathogenic effect on its own, supporting the concept of podocin R229Q contributing to genetic predisposition in adult patients.
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| 4. |
- Jess, David Unnersjö, et al.
(författare)
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Advanced optical imaging reveals preferred spatial orientation of podocyte processes along the axis of glomerular capillaries
- 2023
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Ingår i: Kidney International. - : Elsevier BV. - 0085-2538 .- 1523-1755. ; 104:6, s. 1164-1169
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Mammalian kidneys filter enormous volumes of water and small solutes, a filtration driven by the hydrostatic pressure in glomerular capillaries, which is considerably higher than in most other tissues. Interdigitating cellular processes of podocytes form the slits for fluid filtration connected by the membrane-like slit diaphragm cell junction containing a mechanosensitive ion channel complex and allow filtration while counteracting hydrostatic pressure. Several previous publications speculated that podocyte processes may display a preferable orientation on glomerular capillaries instead of a random distribution. However, for decades, the controversy over spatially oriented filtration slits could not be resolved due to technical limitations of imaging technologies. Here, we used advanced high-resolution, three-dimensional microscopy with high data throughput to assess spatial orientation of podocyte processes and filtration slits quantitatively. Filtration-slit-generating secondary processes preferentially align along the capillaries' longitudinal axis while primary processes are preferably perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. This preferential orientation required maturation in development of the mice but was lost in mice with kidney disease due to treatment with nephrotoxic serum or with underlying heterologous mutations in the podocyte foot process protein podocin. Thus, the observation that podocytes maintain a preferred spatial orientation of their processes on glomerular capillaries goes well in line with the role of podocyte foot processes as mechanical buttresses to counteract mechanical forces resulting from pressurized capillaries. Future studies are needed to establish how podocytes establish and maintain their orientation and why orientation is lost under pathological conditions.
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| 5. |
- Jess, David Unnersjö, et al.
(författare)
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Deep learning-based segmentation and quantification of podocyte foot process morphology suggests differential patterns of foot process effacement across kidney pathologies
- 2023
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Ingår i: Kidney International. - : Elsevier BV. - 0085-2538 .- 1523-1755. ; 103:6, s. 1120-1130
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Morphological alterations at the kidney filtration barrier increase intrinsic capillary wall permeability resulting in albuminuria. However, automated, quantitative assessment of these morphological changes has not been possible with electron or light microscopy. Here we present a deep learning-based approach for segmentation and quantitative analysis of foot processes in images acquired with confocal and super-resolution fluorescence microscopy. Our method, Automatic Morphological Analysis of Podocytes (AMAP), accurately segments podocyte foot processes and quantifies their morphology. AMAP applied to a set of kidney diseases in patient biopsies and a mouse model of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis allowed for accurate and comprehensive quantification of various morphometric features. With the use of AMAP, detailed morphology of podocyte foot process effacement was found to differ between categories of kidney pathologies, showed detailed variability between diverse patients with the same clinical diagnosis, and correlated with levels of proteinuria. AMAP could potentially complement other readouts such as various omics, standard histologic/electron microscopy and blood/urine assays for future personalized diagnosis and treatment of kidney disease. Thus, our novel finding could have implications to afford an understanding of early phases of kidney disease progression and may provide supplemental information in precision diagnostics.
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| 6. |
- Unnersjoe-Jess, David, et al.
(författare)
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Three-Dimensional Super-Resolved Imaging of Paraffin-Embedded Kidney Samples
- 2022
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Ingår i: KIDNEY360. - : American Society of Nephrology (ASN). - 2641-7650. ; 3:3, s. 446-454
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background Diseases of the glomeruli, the renalfiltration units, are a leading cause of progressive kidney disease. Assessment of the ultrastructure of podocytes at the glomerularfiltration barrier is essential for diagnosing diverse disease entities, providing insight into the disease pathogenesis, and monitoring treatment responses.& nbsp;Methods Here we apply previously published sample preparation methods together with stimulated emission depletion and confocal microscopy for resolving nanoscale podocyte substructure. The protocols are modified and optimized in order to be applied to formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples.& nbsp;Results We successfully modified our protocols to allow for deep three-dimensional stimulated emission depletion and confocal imaging of FFPE kidney tissue with similar staining and image quality compared with our previous approaches. We further show that quantitative analysis can be applied to extract morphometrics from healthy and diseased samples from both mice and humans.& nbsp;Conclusions The results from this study could increase the feasibility of implementing optical kidney imaging protocols in clinical routines because FFPE is the gold-standard method for storage of patient samples.& nbsp;
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| 7. |
- Unnersjö Jess, David, et al.
(författare)
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A fast and simple clearing and swelling protocol for 3D in-situ imaging of the kidney across scales
- 2021
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Ingår i: Kidney International. - : Elsevier BV. - 0085-2538 .- 1523-1755. ; 99:4, s. 1010-1020
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In recent years, many light-microscopy protocols have been published for visualization of nanoscale structures in the kidney. These protocols present researchers with new tools to evaluate both foot process anatomy and effacement, as well as protein distributions in foot processes, the slit diaphragm and in the glomerular basement membrane. However, these protocols either involve the application of different complicated super resolution microscopes or lengthy sample preparation protocols. Here, we present a fast and simple, five-hour long procedure for three-dimensional visualization of kidney morphology on all length scales. The protocol combines optical clearing and tissue expansion concepts to produce a mild swelling, sufficient for resolving nanoscale structures using a conventional confocal microscope. We show that the protocol can be applied to visualize a wide variety of pathologic features in both mouse and human kidneys. Thus, our fast and simple protocol can be beneficial for conventional microscopic evaluation of kidney tissue integrity both in research and possibly in future clinical routines.
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