BRG1 is involved in vascular calcification in chronic renal disease via autophagy of vascular smooth muscle cells

Yunlin Feng; Meidie Yu; Chan Wang; Juhua Xia; Liming Huang; Yun Tang; Qiong Xiao; Lei Pu; Li Wang; Guisen Li; Yi Li

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2023.106485

BRG1 is involved in vascular calcification in chronic renal disease via autophagy of vascular smooth muscle cells

iScience. 2023 Mar 23;26(4):106485. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106485. eCollection 2023 Apr 21.

Authors

Yunlin Feng^{1

2}, Meidie Yu³, Chan Wang⁴, Juhua Xia⁵, Liming Huang^{1

2}, Yun Tang^{1

2}, Qiong Xiao^{1

2}, Lei Pu^{1

2}, Li Wang^{1

2}, Guisen Li^{1

2

6}, Yi Li^{1

2

6}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Nephrology, Clinical Research Center of Kidney Disease in Sichuan Province, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610072, China.
² Chinese Academy of Sciences Sichuan Translational Medical Research Hospital, Chengdu 610072, China.
³ Chengdu Blood Center, Chengdu 610041, China.
⁴ The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu Medical College (China National Nuclear Corporation 416 Hospital), Chengdu, Sichuan 610051, China.
⁵ Jintang County First People's Hospital, Chengdu 610400, China.
⁶ Clinical Immunology Translational Medicine Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Academy of Medical Science and Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, Chengdu 610072, China.

Abstract

We aimed to investigate the mechanisms of Brahma related gene 1 (BRG1) in promoting vascular calcification in chronic kidney disease (CKD). The expression of BRG1 was examined in high phosphorus stimulated rat aortic smooth muscle cells (RASMCs) and calcified artery tissues from rat models and hemodialysis patients. Autophagosome formation was measured in high phosphorus stimulated RASMCs with and without BRG1 knock-down. We also detected the coexistence of BGR1 and exosomes, and measured the circulatory levels of BRG1 in the hemodialysis patients. BRG1 promoted the osteogenic transdifferentiation of RASMCs. Silencing BRG1 prevented autophagy from being induced by high phosphorus stimulation in RASMCs. Increased expression of BRG1 was observed in calcified blood vessels. Serum BRG1 level increased in the hemodialysis patients. BRG1 was involved in the development of high phosphorus induced osteogenic phenotype in vitro and in vivo, and its underlying mechanism might be facilitating autophagy.

Keywords: Cell biology; Nephrology.