Background: Renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis is the final common stage of renal failure. CD4+ T lymphocyte recruitment and activation after injury could be the very important early event that mediates the onset of renal fibrogenesis. But the role of CD4+ T lymphocytes in renal fibrosis is controversial and its cellular mechanism needs to be further investigated. Methods: Biopsy specimens were from patients with minimal-change or IgA nephropathy. Mouse renal fibrosis was induced by unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO). CD4+ T lymphocytes of wild BALB/c mice were depleted with anti-CD4 antibody. BALB/c Nu/Nu mice were reconstituted with polarized Th1 or Th2 cells by tail vein injection. Results: Our study demonstrated that massive CD4+ T lymphocytes infiltrated fibrotic kidneys of patients. The depletion of CD4+ T lymphocytes inhibited UUO-induced mouse renal fibrosis. In the process of UUO-induced renal fibrosis, the ratios of Th2/Th1 increased with time. Results have also shown that Th2-reconstituted mice developed renal fibrosis more easily than Th1-reconstituted mice, which manifested by interstitial expansion and collagen deposition, higher expression of α-SMA and vimentin and increased expression of fibronectin, TGF-β and collagen I. We also found that CD4+ T cells from Th1-reconstitued mice tended to secrete IL-4 and IL-13 Th2-like cytokines. Conclusion: In conclusion, our study demonstrated the importance of CD4+ T lymphocytes in renal fibrosis and gave the first direct evidence that Th2 cells play a pivotal role in UUO-induced renal fibrosis. Inhibition of CD4+ T lymphocyte differentiation to Th2 would be a potential therapeutic intervention to prevent renal fibrosis.

Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays a crucial role in the progression of renal interstitial fibrosis, which finally leads to renal failure. Erbin, a member of LAP family, is recently reported to inhibit Smads and ERK pathway which are two important types of intracellular signaling involved in TGF-β1-induced EMT. However, the role of Erbin in the regulation of EMT and the underlying mechanisms remain to be fully understood. To that end, we aimed to evaluate the expression of Erbin in renal interstitial fibrosis and the potential role of Erbin in tubular EMT stimulated by TGF-β1. In this study we demonstrated that the expression of Erbin was upregulated in the tubular epithelia of 5/6-nephrectomized rats. We also showed here that TGF-β1 upregulated Erbin expression in NRK52E cells during their EMT phenotype acquisition. Importantly, elevated expression of Erbin inhibited ERK signaling and partial reversed EMT stimulated by TGF-β1. In the mean time, reducing Erbin expression enhanced ERK phosphorylation, promoted the E-cadherin suppression, and induced α-SMA expression and fibronection secretion in response to TGF-β1, which could be rescued if cells were treated with the inhibitor of MEK1/2 U0126. However, in the absence of TGF-β1, Erbin failed to affect ERK activation and EMT process. These results suggest that Erbin is a negative feedback molecule induced by TGF-β1 and inhibits TGF-β1-induced EMT via ERK signaling pathway.

Altered cellular metabolism, which is essential for the growth and survival of tumor cells in a specific microenvironment, is one of the hallmarks of cancer. Among the most significant changes in the metabolic pattern of tumor cells is the shift from oxidative phosphorylation to aerobic glycolysis for glucose utilization. Tumor cells also exhibit changes in patterns of protein and nucleic acid metabolism. Recently, gold compounds have been shown to target several metabolic pathways and a number of metabolites in tumor cells. In this review, we summarize how gold compounds modulate glucose, protein, and nucleic acid metabolism in tumor cells, resulting in anti-tumor effects. We also discuss the rationale underlying the anti-tumor effects of these gold compounds and highlight how to effectively utilize against various types of tumors.