Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2014 Jul;1842(7):1097-108.
doi: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2014.04.001. Epub 2014 Apr 13.

Fatty acids are novel nutrient factors to regulate mTORC1 lysosomal localization and apoptosis in podocytes

Mako Yasuda  1 , Yuki Tanaka  1 , Shinji Kume  2 , Yoshikata Morita  1 , Masami Chin-Kanasaki  1 , Hisazumi Araki  1 , Keiji Isshiki  1 , Shin-ichi Araki  1 , Daisuke Koya  3 , Masakazu Haneda  4 , Atsunori Kashiwagi  1 , Hiroshi Maegawa  1 , Takashi Uzu  1
Affiliations
Free article

Fatty acids are novel nutrient factors to regulate mTORC1 lysosomal localization and apoptosis in podocytes

Mako Yasuda et al. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2014 Jul.
Free article

Abstract

Podocyte apoptosis is a potent mechanism of proteinuria in diabetic nephropathy. More detailed mechanistic insight into podocyte apoptosis is needed to better understand the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy. An elevated level of serum free fatty acid (FFA), as well as hyperglycemia, is a clinical characteristic in diabetes, although its causal role in podocyte apoptosis remains unclear. This study examined the effect of three types of FFAs, saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated FFAs, on podocyte apoptosis. Palmitate, a saturated FFA, induced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-dependent apoptosis in podocytes. Oleate, a monounsaturated FFA, and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), an ω-3 polyunsaturated FFA did not induce apoptosis; rather, they antagonized palmitate-induced apoptosis. Palmitate activated mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) complex 1 (mTORC1), a nutrient-sensing kinase regulating a wide range of cell biology. Furthermore, inhibition of mTORC1 activity by rapamycin or siRNA for Raptor, a component of mTORC1, ameliorated palmitate-induced ER stress and apoptosis in podocytes. Activity of mTORC1 is regulated by upstream kinases and Rag/Ragulator-dependent recruitment of mTOR onto lysosomal membranes. Palmitate activated mTORC1 by enhancing recruitment of mTOR onto lysosomal membranes, which was inhibited by co-incubation with oleate or EPA. Inhibition of mTOR translocation onto lysosomes by transfection with dominant-negative forms of Rag ameliorated palmitate-induced apoptosis. This study suggests that saturated and unsaturated FFAs have opposite effects on podocyte apoptosis by regulating mTORC1 activity via its translocation onto lysosomal membranes, and the results provide a better understanding of the pathogenesis in diabetic nephropathy and a novel role of mTORC1 in cell apoptosis.

Keywords: Diabetic nephropathy; Free fatty acid; Lysosome; Podocyte apoptosis; mTORC1.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources