Prrx1 promotes mesangial cell proliferation and kidney fibrosis through YAP in diabetic nephropathy.
- Author:
Liu XU
1
;
Jiasen SHI
1
;
Huan LI
1
;
Yunfei LIU
1
;
Jingyi WANG
1
;
Xizhi LI
2
;
Dongxue REN
1
;
Sijie LIU
1
;
Heng WANG
1
;
Yinfei LU
1
;
Jinfang SONG
1
;
Lei DU
1
;
Qian LU
1
;
Xiaoxing YIN
1
Author Information
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords: Diabetic nephropathy; Mesangial cell; Prrx1; Renal fibrosis; YAP
- From: Journal of Pharmaceutical Analysis 2025;15(10):101247-101247
- CountryChina
- Language:English
- Abstract: Mesangial cell proliferation is an early pathological indicator of diabetic nephropathy (DN). Growing evidence highlights the pivotal role of paired-related homeobox 1 (Prrx1), a key regulator of cellular proliferation and tissue differentiation, in various disease pathogenesis. Notably, Prrx1 is highly expressed in mesangial cells under DN conditions. Both in vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated that Prrx1 overexpression promotes mesangial cell proliferation and contributes to renal fibrosis in db/m mice. Conversely, Prrx1 knockdown markedly suppresses hyperglycemia-induced mesangial cell proliferation and mitigates renal fibrosis in db/db mice. Mechanistically, Prrx1 directly interacts with the Yes-associated protein 1 (YAP) promoter, leading to the upregulation of YAP expression. This upregulation promotes mesangial cell proliferation and exacerbates renal fibrosis. These findings emphasize the crucial role of Prrx1 upregulation in high glucose-induced mesangial cell proliferation, ultimately leading to renal fibrosis in DN. Therefore, targeting Prrx1 to downregulate its expression presents a promising therapeutic strategy for treating renal fibrosis associated with DN.
