Fibroblast-specific palladin drives kidney fibrosis via MRTF-SRF signaling

Fibrosis is a common end-stage pathway of progressive chronic kidney diseases. Previously we demonstrated that myocardin-related transcription factor (MRTF)-serum response factor (SRF) signaling drives the expression of fibrosis-related molecules through actin cytoskeleton dynamics in renal fibroblasts. However, it has not been elucidated whether actin-associated proteins relate to the pathogenesis of fibrosis. Here, we reveal that the actin cytoskeleton-regulating pathway is significantly correlated with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and collagen type 1 alpha 1 expression in human proteome analysis. We found that palladin was one of the TGF-β1-dependent actin-associated proteins in renal fibroblasts. Our mechanistic studies demonstrated that palladin activates MRTF-SRF signaling via actin cytoskeleton rearrangement upon TGF-β1 stimulation. In addition, palladin expression itself was enhanced by MRTF-SRF signaling, indicating a positive feedback loop. In vitro, genetic silencing of the palladin-MRTF-SRF axis suppressed extracellular matrix production and myofibroblast differentiation. In preclinical models in vivo, fibroblast-specific palladin-deficient mice (palladin^iFBKO) were protected from kidney dysfunction and fibrosis that developed in adenine-induced nephropathy, which was associated with reduced numbers of myofibroblasts compared to wild type (palladin^F/F) mice. In patients with renal disease, palladin was significantly upregulated in the renal interstitium of patients with low eGFR and kidney fibrosis. Moreover, upregulation of the palladin-MRTF-SRF axis correlated with kidney function and fibrosis in patients with various kidney diseases, including IgA nephropathy, diabetic nephropathy, and nephrosclerosis. Taken together, we consider palladin to be a novel regulator of actin cytoskeleton signaling in fibrotic fibroblasts and represents a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of progressive kidney diseases. © 2025 The Author(s). The Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.