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Updated: Aug 8, 2026
Ischemia-reperfusion Model of Acute Kidney Injury and Post Injury Fibrosis in Mice
Published on: August 9, 2013
Comparative Analysis of Acute Kidney Injury Models and Related Fibrogenic Responses: Convergence on Methylation
Sabine Brandt1,2,3, Anja Bernhardt1,2,3, Saskia Häberer1
1Clinic of Nephrology and Hypertension, Diabetes and Endocrinology, Otto-von-Guericke University, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany.
Background:
Fibrosis is characterized by excessive extracellular matrix formation in solid organs, disrupting tissue architecture and function. The Y-box binding protein-1 (YB-1) regulates fibrosis-related genes (e.g., Col1a1, Mmp2, and Tgfβ1) and contributes significantly to disease progression. This study aims to identify fibrogenic signatures and the underlying signaling pathways modulated by YB-1.
Methods:
Transcriptomic changes associated with matrix gene patterns in human chronic kidney diseases and murine acute injury models were analyzed with a focus on known YB-1 targets. Ybx1-knockout mouse strains (Ybx1 and Ybx1) were subjected to various kidney injury models. Fibrosis patterns were characterized by histopathological staining, transcriptome analysis, qRT-PCR, methylation analysis, zymography, and Western blotting.
Results:
Integrative transcriptomic analyses revealed that YB-1 is involved in several fibrogenic signatures related to the matrisome, the WNT, YAP/TAZ, and TGFß pathways, and regulates Klotho expression. Changes in the methylation status of the Klotho promoter by specific methyltransferases (DNMT) are linked to YB-1 expression, extending to other fibrogenic genes. Notably, kidney-resident cells play a significant role in YB-1-modulated fibrogenic signaling, whereas infiltrating myeloid immune cells have a minimal impact.
Conclusions:
YB-1 emerges as a master regulator of fibrogenesis, guiding DNMT1 to fibrosis-related genes. This highlights YB-1 as a potential target for epigenetic therapies interfering in this process.
