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Myokine SIRPα exacerbates kidney disease in diabetes
Jiao Wu, Elisa Russo, Daniela Verzola, Qingtian Li, Helena Zhang, Bhuvaneswari Krishnan, David Sheikh-Hamad, Zhaoyong Hu, William E. Mitch, Sandhya S. Thomas
Jiao Wu, Elisa Russo, Daniela Verzola, Qingtian Li, Helena Zhang, Bhuvaneswari Krishnan, David Sheikh-Hamad, Zhaoyong Hu, William E. Mitch, Sandhya S. Thomas
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Research Article Endocrinology Nephrology

Myokine SIRPα exacerbates kidney disease in diabetes

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Abstract

Mechanisms responsible for skeletal muscle kidney crosstalk have not been defined. We have determined that a circulating mediator, signal regulatory protein α (SIRPα), impairs intracellular insulin-mediated functions. To elucidate the effect of myokine SIRPα on diabetic kidney disease (DKD), flox mice and muscle-specific (m-specific) SIRPα-KO mice were subjected to an obesity-induced model of diabetes, high-fat diet (HFD; 60%) or insulin-deficient hyperglycemia model, streptozotocin (STZ), and were subsequently exposed to anti-SIRPα monoclonal antibodies. In the obesity-induced diabetic mice, serum SIRPα increased. Genetic deletion of muscle SIRPα protected against obesity and improved intracellular insulin signaling in muscle and adipose tissue, with reduced intramuscular fat deposition when compared with flox mice on HFD. Moreover, mSIRPα-KO mice displayed enhanced kidney tubular fatty acid oxidation (FAO) expression with suppressed intraorgan triglycerides deposition, and importantly, protection against DKD. Conversely, exogenous SIRPα impaired kidney proximal tubular cell FAO, ATP production, and exacerbated fibrosis. Finally, suppressing SIRPα in skeletal muscles or treatment with anti-SIRPα monoclonal antibodies in STZ-treated mice mitigated cachexia, hyperlipidemia, kidney triglyceride deposition, and renal dysfunction in spite of significant hyperglycemia. Importantly, serum SIRPα was upregulated in patients with DKD. In conclusion, SIRPα serves as a potential biomarker and therapeutic target in DKD.

Authors

Jiao Wu, Elisa Russo, Daniela Verzola, Qingtian Li, Helena Zhang, Bhuvaneswari Krishnan, David Sheikh-Hamad, Zhaoyong Hu, William E. Mitch, Sandhya S. Thomas

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Figure 3

Blocking muscle SIRPα suppresses ectopic lipid accumulation while attenuating skeletal muscle wasting in obesity-induced diabetes.

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Blocking muscle SIRPα suppresses ectopic lipid accumulation while attenu...
(A) After 14 weeks of high-fat diet (HFD) or normal chow (NC) diet, grip strength (Newtons [N]) was measured in fl/fl, muscle-specific SIRPα-KO (mSIRPα–/–) mice (n = 8). (B and C) Gastrocnemius (GAS) and tibialis anterior (TA) skeletal muscles were weighed and normalized to body weight (BW; n = 10). (D) Representative H&E-stained cryosections of TA skeletal muscle (scale bar: 100 μm) and percentage (%) of myofiber sizes are shown (n = 3–4). (E) Relative mRNA levels of atrophy-related transcripts were determined in gastrocnemius muscle by qPCR (n = 6). (F) Total lipid concentration was identified in gastrocnemius skeletal muscle (n = 7–8). Data are shown as mean ± SEM. Statistical significance was performed using one-way ANOVA followed by Bonferroni test for A–C, E, and F. *P < 0.05, ***P < 0.001, ****P < 0.0001 NC vs. HFD; #P < 0.05, ##P < 0.01, ###P < 0.001, ####P < 0.0001 fl/fl vs. mSIRPα–/–.

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