Podocytes Specific Deletion of PKM2 Ameliorates LPS‐induced Podocyte Injury through Regulation of Beta‐Catenin Activity

Abstract

Background Acute kidney injury (AKI) is associated with a severe decline in kidney function caused by abnormalities within the podocytes' glomerular matrix. Recently, AKI has been linked to alterations in glycolysis and the activity of glycolytic enzymes, including pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2). However, the contribution of this enzyme to AKI remains largely unexplored. Methods Cre-loxP technology was used to examine the effects of PKM2 specific deletion in podocytes on the activation status of key signaling pathways involved in the pathophysiology of AKI by lipopolysaccharides (LPS). In addition, we used lentiviral shRNA to generate murine podocytes deficient in PKM2 and investigated the molecular mechanisms mediating PKM2 actions in vitro. Results Specific PKM2 deletion in podocytes ameliorated LPS-induced protein excretion and alleviated LPS-induced alterations in blood urea nitrogen and serum albumin levels. In addition, PKM2 deletion in podocytes alleviated LPS-induced renal injury and protected mice from LPS-induced pro-inflammatory cytokine expression. At the molecular level, PKM2 deficiency in podocytes alleviated LPS-induced inflammation, endoplasmic reticulum stress, and apoptosis, but exacerbated LPS-induced autophagy. In vitro, PKM2 knockdown in murine podocytes suppressed LPS-induced apoptosis. These effects were concomitant with a reduction in LPS-induced activation of β-catenin and the loss of Wilms’ Tumor 1 (WT1) and nephrin. Notably, the overexpression of a constitutively active mutant of β-catenin abolished the protective effect of PKM2 knockdown. Conversely, Knockdown cells reconstituted with the phosphotyrosine binding–deficient PKM2 mutant (K433E) recapitulated the effect of PKM2 depletion on LPS-induced apoptosis, β-catenin activation, and reduction in WT1 expression. Conclusion Our data demonstrate that PKM2 plays a key role in podocytes injury and suggest that targetting PKM2 in podocytes could serve as a promising therapeutic strategy for AKI.