Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40480647›Full record

ArticleLupus science & medicine2025

Lupus nephritis serum induces changes in gene expression in human glomerular endothelial cells, which is modulated by L-sepiapterin: implications for redox-mediated endothelial dysfunction.

Dayvia A Russell, Justin P Van Beusecum, Margaret Markiewicz, Sandra M Sanchez, Jeremy L Barth, Jim C Oates

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Lupus science & medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

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

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. The endothelium response to kidney injury.Nature reviews. Nephrology · 2026
    Review
  3. Review
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

6 authors.

Dayvia A RussellMedical Service, Ralph H Johnson VA Medical Center, Charleston, South Carolina, USA.
Justin P Van BeusecumDepartment of Medicine, Division of Nephrology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-9265-9915
Margaret MarkiewiczDepartment of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology and Immunology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA.
Sandra M SanchezDepartment of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology and Immunology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA.
Jeremy L BarthDepartment of Regenerative Medicine and Cell Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-6113-8140
Jim C OatesMedical Service, Ralph H Johnson VA Medical Center, Charleston, South Carolina, USA oatesjc@musc.edu.ORCID 0000-0002-5426-1359

Funding

South Carolina IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research (SC INBRE V)P20GM103499 · NIGMS · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA AT COLUMBIA · PI EDIE C GOLDSMITH · 2012 to 2026
$61.0M
South Carolina Clinical & Translational Research Institute (SCTR)UL1TR001450 · NCATS · MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA · PI BRADY, KATHLEEN T., FLUME, PATRICK A · 2015 to 2024
$41.1M
SOUTH CAROLINA CLINICAL & TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE (SCTR)UL1RR029882 · NCRR · MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA · PI BRADY, KATHLEEN T. · 2009 to 2011
$10.1M
Resource CoreP30AR072582 · NIAMS · MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA · PI JAMES C OATES · 2017 to 2026
$8.5M
CSRD VA I01 CX001248NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR001450NCRR NIH HHS UL1 RR029882NIAMS NIH HHS P30 AR072582NIGMS NIH HHS P20 GM103499
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveLupus nephritis (LN) is characterised by renal endothelial dysfunction, which contributes to progressive kidney injury. Endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) plays a modulating role in LN, as genetic ablation of the eNOS enzyme worsens disease. Serum from patients with active LN induces uncoupling of eNOS homodimers, leading to superoxide (SO) rather than nitric oxide (NO) production by eNOS. This uncoupling is reversed with L-sepiapterin (L-Sep). This study was designed to further examine changes in gene expression in glomerular endothelial cells induced by LN serum and whether treatment with L-Sep can ameliorate these changes.

methodsPrimary human renal glomerular endothelial cells (HRGECs) were cultured with serum from healthy controls (HCs), patients with LN during remission (LN rem) or patients with LN during flare (LN flare) with and without L-Sep. Bulk RNA sequencing was performed on RNA isolated from cultured cells. Differential gene expression was determined, and pathway and gene enrichment analyses were performed on differentially expressed genes.

resultsL-Sep treatment induced differential gene expression after culture in HRGECs cultured with LN flare serum. Addition of L-Sep induced genes involved in promoting endothelial function and enriched for pathways of NO biosynthetic and metabolic processes, fatty acid and lipid biosynthesis, neurotransmitter biosynthesis, reactive oxygen biosynthesis, vascular endothelial growth factor production and regulation of smooth muscle contraction.

conclusionsThese results indicate that glomerular endothelial cells can mount an active inflammatory response in an LN serum environment. More importantly, L-Sep modulates gene expression in a fashion consistent with reduction of oxidative stress and increased NO production. These findings provide the rationale to target endothelial dysfunction to modulate LN with L-Sep as a therapeutic.

Indexed as

Endothelial CellsKidney GlomerulusLupus NephritisPterinsAdultCase-Control StudiesCells, CulturedFemaleGene Expression RegulationHumansMaleNitric OxideNitric Oxide Synthase Type IIIOxidation-ReductionSuperoxidesNitric OxideNitric Oxide Synthase Type IIINOS3 protein, humanPterinssepiapterinSuperoxidesInflammationLupus Erythematosus, SystemicLupus Nephritis

Identifiers

PMID40480647
PMCPMC12161315

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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.