Amphiregulin Aggravates Glomerulonephritis via Recruitment and Activation of Myeloid Cells

• Published in: Journal of the American Society of Nephrology 2020-09, Vol.31 (9), p.1996-2012
• Main Authors: Melderis, Simon, Hagenstein, Julia, Warkotsch, Matthias Tobias, Dang, Julien, Herrnstadt, Georg Rudolf, Niehus, Christoph Benjamin, Neumann, Katrin, Panzer, Ulf, Berasain, Carmen, Avila, Matias A, Tharaux, Pierre-Louis, Tiegs, Gisa, Steinmetz, Oliver M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Amphiregulin - physiology; Animals; Basic Research; Cell Movement; Cells, Cultured; Chemokines - biosynthesis; ErbB Receptors - physiology; Glomerulonephritis - etiology; Glomerulonephritis - pathology; Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor - biosynthesis; Humans; Macrophages - physiology; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Myeloid Cells - physiology
• ISSN: 1046-6673; 1533-3450
• DOI: 10.1681/asn.2019111215

Recent studies have identified the EGF receptor (EGFR) ligand amphiregulin (AREG) as an important mediator of inflammatory diseases. Both pro- and anti-inflammatory functions have been described, but the role of AREG in GN remains unknown. The nephrotoxic nephritis model of GN was studied in AREG mice after bone marrow transplantation, and in mice with myeloid cell-specific EGFR deficiency. Therapeutic utility of AREG neutralization was assessed. Furthermore, AREG's effects on renal cells and monocytes/macrophages (M/M) were analyzed. Finally, we evaluated AREG expression in human renal biopsies. Renal AREG mRNA was strongly upregulated in murine GN. Renal resident cells were the most functionally relevant source of AREG. Importantly, the observation that knockout mice showed significant amelioration of disease indicates that AREG is pathogenic in GN. AREG enhanced myeloid cell responses inducing chemokine and colony stimulating factor 2 (CSF2) expression in kidney resident cells. Furthermore, AREG directly skewed M/M to a proinflammatory M1 phenotype and protected them from apoptosis. Consequently, anti-AREG antibody treatment dose-dependently ameliorated GN. Notably, selective abrogation of EGFR signaling in myeloid cells was sufficient to protect against nephritis. Finally, strong upregulation of AREG expression was also detected in kidneys of patients with two forms of crescentic GN. AREG is a proinflammatory mediator of GN ( ) enhancing renal pathogenic myeloid cell infiltration and ( ) direct effects on M/M polarization, proliferation, and cytokine secretion. The AREG/EGFR axis is a potential therapeutic target for acute GN.