ArticleJournal of translational medicine2023
The PI3K-Akt-mTOR pathway mediates renal pericyte-myofibroblast transition by enhancing glycolysis through HKII.
Article in Journal of translational medicine, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 36 papers.
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Who cites it
36 citing papers in PubMed, 37 citations in OpenAlex.
- Versatile Microgel Platform for Intervertebral Disc Degeneration Therapy: Targeting Pericyte-Mediated Fibrosis and Protecting Nucleus Pulposus Cells.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Article
- Trained immunity: New insights into pathogenesis and therapeutic targets in diabetes and diabetic complications.Genes & diseases · 2026Review
- Pericyte-myofibroblast transition: a novel mechanism in peritoneal fibrosis and the effect of Asiaticoside.Journal of advanced research · 2026Article
- Scleral Postn Drives Myopia via Promoting Myofibroblast Transdifferentiation.Investigative ophthalmology & visual science · 2026Article
- Urinary exosomal miR-132-3p as a novel non‑invasive biomarker for kidney scarring in pediatric vesicoureteral reflux patients.BMC pediatrics · 2026Article
- Metabolic reprogramming in fibrosis-related diseases: underlying mechanisms and therapeutics.Molecular biomedicine · 2026Review
- Vitexin inhibits renal cell carcinoma progression by targeting Galectin-1-mediated glycolytic metabolism.Molecular biology reports · 2026Article
- Spatiotemporal Control of Intercellular Crosstalk: A New Therapeutic Paradigm for Halting Acute Kidney Injury to Chronic Kidney Disease Transition.Biomolecules · 2026Review
- The GOLM1-ACLY pathway regulates macrophage-secreted EFEMP1 via H3K27ac modifications to drive tumor progression.Journal of advanced research · 2026Article
- ZBTB7A-mediated regulation of astrocytic glycolysis in neurodegenerative diseases: insights from literature review and bioinformatics prediction.Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2026Review
- Nanomedicine-Driven Precision Therapy for Renal Fibrosis: From Mechanistic Insights to Kidney-Targeted Interventions.International journal of nanomedicine · 2026Review
- Focusing on the Apolipoprotein M-Mitophagy Axis: A Mechanism for Renal Protection in Diabetic Nephropathy.Journal of diabetes research · 2026Review
- Profibrotic macrophage-derived CXCL4 promotes pericyte-to-myofibroblast transition after spinal cord injury.Journal of orthopaedic translation · 2026Article
- Renal allograft interstitial fibrosis: multicellular interactions and therapeutic strategies.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- Cell-state- and compartment-dependent PI3K/Akt redox signaling in chronic kidney disease: mechanisms and translational implications.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026Review
- Inflammation, Apoptosis, and Fibrosis in Diabetic Nephropathy: Molecular Crosstalk in Proximal Tubular Epithelial Cells and Therapeutic Implications.Current issues in molecular biology · 2025Review
- FAPNature communications · 2025Article
- Advanced glycation end products induce inflammaging in periodontal ligament fibroblasts through RAGE/AKT/mTOR/glycolysis pathway.Acta odontologica Scandinavica · 2025Article
- Features and Prognosis of Patients With Retroperitoneal Fibrosis Developing Fibrosing Mediastinitis: Case-Control Study and Systematic Review.ACR open rheumatology · 2025Article
- Novel molecular mechanisms of immune evasion in hepatocellular carcinoma: NSUN2-mediated increase of SOAT2 RNA methylation.Cancer communications (London, England) · 2025Article
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Authors and funding
14 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPericyte-myofibroblast transition (PMT) has been confirmed to contribute to renal fibrosis in several kidney diseases, and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) is a well-known cytokine that drives PMT. However, the underlying mechanism has not been fully established, and little is known about the associated metabolic changes.
methodsBioinformatics analysis was used to identify transcriptomic changes during PMT. PDGFRβ + pericytes were isolated using MACS, and an in vitro model of PMT was induced by 5 ng/ml TGF-β1. Metabolites were analyzed by ultraperformance liquid chromatography (UPLC) and tandem mass spectrometry (MS). 2-Deoxyglucose (2-DG) was used to inhibit glycolysis via its actions on hexokinase (HK). The hexokinase II (HKII) plasmid was transfected into pericytes for HKII overexpression. LY294002 or rapamycin was used to inhibit the PI3K-Akt-mTOR pathway for mechanistic exploration.
resultsAn increase in carbon metabolism during PMT was detected through bioinformatics and metabolomics analysis. We first detected increased levels of glycolysis and HKII expression in pericytes after stimulation with TGF-β1 for 48 h, accompanied by increased expression of α-SMA, vimentin and desmin. Transdifferentiation was blunted when pericytes were pretreated with 2-DG, an inhibitor of glycolysis. The phosphorylation levels of PI3K, Akt and mTOR were elevated during PMT, and after inhibition of the PI3K-Akt-mTOR pathway with LY294002 or rapamycin, glycolysis in the TGF-β1-treated pericytes was decreased. Moreover, PMT and HKII transcription and activity were blunted, but the plasmid-mediated overexpression of HKII rescued PMT inhibition.
conclusionsThe expression and activity of HKII as well as the level of glycolysis were increased during PMT. Moreover, the PI3K-Akt-mTOR pathway regulates PMT by increasing glycolysis through HKII regulation.
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