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The EDA+ splice variant of fibronectin (Fn) is an early and important component of the extracellular matrix in renal fibrosis. In this work, we investigate cellular mechanisms of EDA+Fn production in human primary proximal tubule epithelial cells (PTECs). TGFβ1-induced EDA+Fn production was assessed by immunocytochemistry, PCR, and Western blotting. SRp40 knockdown was achieved by siRNA. The role of the PI3 kinase-AKT signalling and splicing regulatory protein SRp40 in the production of EDA+Fn was studied by using the chemical inhibitor LY294002 and siRNA targeted to SRp40 respectively. Interaction between PI3 kinase-AKT signalling and SRp40 were assessed by immunofluorescence and immunoprecipitation. To assess the specificity of SRp40 in regulating the splicing of EDA+ exon, we studied the effect of SRp40 knockdown on TGFβ1 induced splicing of FGF receptor 2. Primary human PTECs expressed EDA+ and EDA- Fn. TGFβ1 treatment resulted in increases in the production and deposition of EDA+ Fn as well as an increase in the ratio of EDA+/EDA- Fn mRNA. The TGFβ1 induced EDA+ production was dependent on PI3 kinase-AKT signalling and SRp40 expression. Immunoprecipitation experiments demonstrated direct binding between AKT and SRp40 with an increase in the amount of SRp40 bound to AKT upon TGFβ1 treatment. TGFβ1 treatment resulted in reduction in the FGF receptor2 IIIb splice variant which was unaffected by SRp40 knockdown. In this work, we have presented the first evidence for the regulation of Fn pre-mRNA splicing by PI3 kinase-AKT signalling and SRp40 in human PTECs. Targeting the splicing of Fn pre-mRNA to skip the EDA exon is an attractive option to combat fibrosis.

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