Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38769658›Full record

ArticleClinical and translational medicine2024

Rictor/mTORC2 signalling contributes to renal vascular endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition and renal allograft interstitial fibrosis by regulating BNIP3-mediated mitophagy.

Dengyuan Feng, Zeping Gui, Zhen Xu, Jianjian Zhang, Bin Ni, Zijie Wang, Jiawen Liu, Shuang Fei, Hao Chen, Li Sun and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Clinical and translational medicine, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
16citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

16 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Selective autophagy in kidney health and disease.Nature reviews. Nephrology · 2026
    Review
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Ethyl acetate extract fromFrontiers in pharmacology · 2026
    Article
  7. Review
  8. Article
  9. Review
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Dengyuan FengDepartment of Urology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Zeping GuiDepartment of Urology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Zhen XuDepartment of Urology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Jianjian ZhangDepartment of Urology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.ORCID 0009-0000-9428-0792
Bin NiDepartment of Urology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Zijie WangDepartment of Urology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Jiawen LiuDepartment of Urology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Shuang FeiDepartment of Urology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Hao ChenDepartment of Urology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Li SunDepartment of Urology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Min GuDepartment of Urology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Ruoyun TanDepartment of Urology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.ORCID 0009-0001-5052-5011

Funding

333 High Level Talents Project BRA2016514333 High Level Talents Project BRA2017532National Natural Science Foundation of China 81770751National Natural Science Foundation of China 81870512National Natural Science Foundation of China 81900684National Natural Science Foundation of China 82070769National Natural Science Foundation of China 82270790
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundRenal allograft interstitial fibrosis/tubular atrophy (IF/TA) constitutes the principal histopathological characteristic of chronic allograft dysfunction (CAD) in kidney-transplanted patients. While renal vascular endothelial-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) has been verified as an important contributing factor to IF/TA in CAD patients, its underlying mechanisms remain obscure. Through single-cell transcriptomic analysis, we identified Rictor as a potential pivotal mediator for EndMT. This investigation sought to elucidate the role of Rictor/mTORC2 signalling in the pathogenesis of renal allograft interstitial fibrosis and the associated mechanisms.

methodsThe influence of the Rictor/mTOR2 pathway on renal vascular EndMT and renal allograft fibrosis was investigated by cell experiments and Rictor depletion in renal allogeneic transplantation mice models. Subsequently, a series of assays were conducted to explore the underlying mechanisms of the enhanced mitophagy and the ameliorated EndMT resulting from Rictor knockout.

resultsOur findings revealed a significant activation of the Rictor/mTORC2 signalling in CAD patients and allogeneic kidney transplanted mice. The suppression of Rictor/mTORC2 signalling alleviated TNFα-induced EndMT in HUVECs. Moreover, Rictor knockout in endothelial cells remarkably ameliorated renal vascular EndMT and allograft interstitial fibrosis in allogeneic kidney transplanted mice. Mechanistically, Rictor knockout resulted in an augmented BNIP3-mediated mitophagy in endothelial cells. Furthermore, Rictor/mTORC2 facilitated the MARCH5-mediated degradation of BNIP3 at the K130 site through K48-linked ubiquitination, thereby regulating mitophagy activity. Subsequent experiments also demonstrated that BNIP3 knockdown nearly reversed the enhanced mitophagy and mitigated EndMT and allograft interstitial fibrosis induced by Rictor knockout.

conclusionsConsequently, our study underscores Rictor/mTORC2 signalling as a critical mediator of renal vascular EndMT and allograft interstitial fibrosis progression, exerting its impact through regulating BNIP3-mediated mitophagy. This insight unveils a potential therapeutic target for mitigating renal allograft interstitial fibrosis.

Indexed as

FibrosisKidney TransplantationMechanistic Target of Rapamycin Complex 2Membrane ProteinsMitophagyRapamycin-Insensitive Companion of mTOR ProteinSignal TransductionAllograftsAnimalsDisease Models, AnimalHumansKidneyMaleMiceMice, Inbred C57BLMitochondrial ProteinsBNIP3 protein, humanBNip3 protein, mouseMechanistic Target of Rapamycin Complex 2Membrane ProteinsMitochondrial ProteinsProto-Oncogene ProteinsRapamycin-Insensitive Companion of mTOR ProteinRICTOR protein, humanrictor protein, mousemitophagyrenal allograft interstitial fibrosisRictor/mTORC2vascular endothelial cells

Identifiers

PMID38769658
PMCPMC11106512

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.