PGC1α is required for the renoprotective effect of lncRNA Tug1 in vivo and links Tug1 with urea cycle metabolites

Li Li, Jianyin Long, Koki Mise, Daniel L. Galvan, Paul A. Overbeek, Lin Tan, Shwetha V. Kumar, Wai Kin Chan, Phillip L. Lorenzi, Benny H. Chang, Farhad R. Danesh

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

15 Scopus citations

Abstract

lncRNA taurine-upregulated gene 1 (Tug1) is a promising therapeutic target in the progression of diabetic nephropathy (DN), but the molecular basis of its protection remains poorly understood. Here, we generate a triple-mutant diabetic mouse model coupled with metabolomic profiling data to interrogate whether Tug1 interaction with peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1α (PGC1α) is required for mitochondrial remodeling and progression of DN in vivo. We find that, compared with diabetic conditional deletion of Pgc1α in podocytes alone (db/db; Pgc1αPod-f/f), diabetic Pgc1α knockout combined with podocyte-specific Tug1 overexpression (db/db; TugPodTg; Pgc1αPod-f/f) reverses the protective phenotype of Tug1 overexpression, suggesting that PGC1α is required for the renoprotective effect of Tug1. Using unbiased metabolomic profiling, we find that altered urea cycle metabolites and mitochondrial arginase 2 play an important role in Tug1/PGC1α-induced mitochondrial remodeling. Our work identifies a functional role of the Tug1/PGC1α axis on mitochondrial metabolic homeostasis and urea cycle metabolites in experimental models of diabetes.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number109510
JournalCell Reports
Volume36
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 10 2021

Keywords

  • PGC1α
  • RNA
  • Tug1
  • diabetic nephropathy
  • lncRNA
  • mitochondrial metabolites
  • podocytes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

MD Anderson CCSG core facilities

  • High Resolution Electron Microscopy Facility
  • Metabolomics Facility
  • Flow Cytometry and Cellular Imaging Facility

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