Nucleoporin 160 (NUP160) inhibition alleviates diabetic nephropathy by activating autophagy

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the leading cause of end-stage renal disease worldwide. Autophagy was reported to be related to the pathogenesis of DN. This research investigated the function of the Nucleoporin 160 (Nup160) gene in regulating autophagy in DN. A mouse model of DN was established through an intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ). Normal rat kidney tubular epithelial cells (NRK-52E) were treated with high glucose to induce DN in vitro. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), western blot, immunofluorescence assays were conducted to measure the expression of NUP160, autophagy-associated proteins, and inflammatory cytokines in vitro and in vivo. Pathological changes of kidney and liver tissues were analyzed using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), Masson and periodic acid-silver (PAS) staining. The body weight, blood glucose, renal and lipid profiles of DN mice were examined. In this study, DN mice showed serious pathological injury. NUP160 expression was upregulated, autophagy was inhibited, and inflammatory response was increased in DN mice. Depletion of NUP160 restored autophagy and inhibited inflammation and fibrosis in high glucose (HG)-treated NRK-52E cells and STZ-induced DN mice by downregulating the expression of p62 and Collagen IV (Col-Ⅳ), increasing the ratio of LC3II/LC3I, and inactivating nuclear factor (NF)-κB signaling. Moreover, NUP160 knockdown could ameliorate pathological damage and glucose tolerance in DN mice. Overall, this study is the first to demonstrate the key role of NUP160 silencing in promoting autophagy against diabetic injury in DN.