<i>NAT10</i> exacerbates acute renal inflammation by enhancing N4-acetylcytidine modification of the CCL2/CXCL1 axis

J Jia-Nan Wang (Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease (Ministry of Education), Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences) X Xiao-guo Suo (Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, The Key Laboratory of Anti-Inflammatory of Immune Medicines, Ministry of Education, Anhui Institute of Innovative Drugs, School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University) J Ju-tao Yu (Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, The Key Laboratory of Anti-Inflammatory of Immune Medicines, Ministry of Education, Anhui Institute of Innovative Drugs, School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University) Q Qi-chao Luo (School of Basic Medicine, Anhui Medical University) M Ming-lu Ji (Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, The Key Laboratory of Anti-Inflammatory of Immune Medicines, Ministry of Education, Anhui Institute of Innovative Drugs, School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University) M Meng-meng Zhang (Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, The Key Laboratory of Anti-Inflammatory of Immune Medicines, Ministry of Education, Anhui Institute of Innovative Drugs, School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University) Q Qi Zhu X Xin-ran Cheng (Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, The Key Laboratory of Anti-Inflammatory of Immune Medicines, Ministry of Education, Anhui Institute of Innovative Drugs, School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University) C Chao Hou (School of Basic Medicine, Anhui Medical University) X Xin Chen F Fang Wang C Chuan-hui Xu (Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, The Key Laboratory of Anti-Inflammatory of Immune Medicines, Ministry of Education, Anhui Institute of Innovative Drugs, School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University) C Chao Li S Shuai-shuai Xie (Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, The Key Laboratory of Anti-Inflammatory of Immune Medicines, Ministry of Education, Anhui Institute of Innovative Drugs, School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University) J Jie Wei (College of Energy, College of Materials, State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, School of Life Sciences, College of Physical Science and Technology, Discipline of Intelligent Instrument and Equipment, iChEM, Fujian Key Laboratory of Advanced Materials) D Dan-feng Zhang (Department of Nephrology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University) X Xin-Ru Zhang (MOE Key Laboratory for UV Light-Emitting Materials and Technology) Z Zhi-juan Wang (Department of Nephrology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University) Y Yu-hang Dong (Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, The Key Laboratory of Anti-Inflammatory of Immune Medicines, Ministry of Education, Anhui Institute of Innovative Drugs, School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University) S Sai Zhu (Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, The Key Laboratory of Anti-Inflammatory of Immune Medicines, Ministry of Education, Anhui Institute of Innovative Drugs, School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University) L Li-jin Peng (Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, The Key Laboratory of Anti-Inflammatory of Immune Medicines, Ministry of Education, Anhui Institute of Innovative Drugs, School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University) X Xiang-Yu Li (Beijing Key Laboratory for Green Catalysis and Separation and Department of Chemical Engineering, College of Materials Science & Engineering) H Hai-yong Chen (School of Chinese Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine) T Tao Xu J Juan Jin (School of Basic Medicine, Anhui Medical University) F Fei Xavier Chen X Xiao-ming Meng (Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, The Key Laboratory of Anti-Inflammatory of Immune Medicines, Ministry of Education, Anhui Institute of Innovative Drugs, School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University)

Abstract

Inflammation plays an essential role in eliminating microbial pathogens and repairing tissues, while sustained inflammation accelerates kidney damage and disease progression. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms of the inflammatory response is vital for developing therapies for inflammatory kidney diseases like acute kidney injury (AKI), which currently lacks effective treatment. Here, we identified N-acetyltransferase 10 ( NAT10 ) as an important regulator for acute inflammation. NAT10 , the only known “writer” protein for N4-acetylcytidine (ac4C) acetylation, is elevated in renal tubules across various AKI models, human biopsies, and cultured tubular epithelial cells (TECs). Conditional knockout (cKO) of NAT10 in mouse kidneys attenuates renal dysfunction, inflammation, and infiltration of macrophages and neutrophils, whereas its conditional knock-in (cKI) exacerbates these effects. Mechanistically, our findings from ac4C-RIP-seq and RNA-seq analyses revealed that NAT10-mediated ac4C acetylation enhances the mRNA stability of a range of key chemokines, including C-C motif chemokine ligand 2 ( CCL2 ) and C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 1( CXCL1 ), promoting macrophage and neutrophil recruitment and accelerating renal inflammation. Additionally, CCL2 and CXCL1 neutralizing antibodies or their receptor inhibitors, abrogated renal inflammation in NAT10 -overexpression TECs or NAT10 -cKI mice. Importantly, inhibiting NAT10 , either through Adeno-associated virus 9 (AAV9)-mediated silencing or pharmacologically with our found inhibitor Cpd-155, significantly reduces renal inflammation and injury. Thus, targeting the NAT10/CCL2/CXCL1 axis presents a promising therapeutic strategy for treating inflammatory kidney diseases.

Article Details

Volume / Issue Vol. 122, Issue 17
Published April 29, 2025
ISSN 0027-8424
Publisher National Academy of Sciences

Authors (27)

J

Jia-Nan Wang

Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease (Ministry of Education), Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences

X

Xiao-guo Suo

Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, The Key Laboratory of Anti-Inflammatory of Immune Medicines, Ministry of Education, Anhui Institute of Innovative Drugs, School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University

J

Ju-tao Yu

Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, The Key Laboratory of Anti-Inflammatory of Immune Medicines, Ministry of Education, Anhui Institute of Innovative Drugs, School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University

Q

Qi-chao Luo

School of Basic Medicine, Anhui Medical University

M

Ming-lu Ji

Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, The Key Laboratory of Anti-Inflammatory of Immune Medicines, Ministry of Education, Anhui Institute of Innovative Drugs, School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University

M

Meng-meng Zhang

Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, The Key Laboratory of Anti-Inflammatory of Immune Medicines, Ministry of Education, Anhui Institute of Innovative Drugs, School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University

Q

Qi Zhu

X

Xin-ran Cheng

Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, The Key Laboratory of Anti-Inflammatory of Immune Medicines, Ministry of Education, Anhui Institute of Innovative Drugs, School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University

C

Chao Hou

School of Basic Medicine, Anhui Medical University

X

Xin Chen

F

Fang Wang

C

Chuan-hui Xu

Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, The Key Laboratory of Anti-Inflammatory of Immune Medicines, Ministry of Education, Anhui Institute of Innovative Drugs, School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University

C

Chao Li

S

Shuai-shuai Xie

Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, The Key Laboratory of Anti-Inflammatory of Immune Medicines, Ministry of Education, Anhui Institute of Innovative Drugs, School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University

J

Jie Wei

College of Energy, College of Materials, State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, School of Life Sciences, College of Physical Science and Technology, Discipline of Intelligent Instrument and Equipment, iChEM, Fujian Key Laboratory of Advanced Materials

D

Dan-feng Zhang

Department of Nephrology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University

X

Xin-Ru Zhang

MOE Key Laboratory for UV Light-Emitting Materials and Technology

Z

Zhi-juan Wang

Department of Nephrology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University

Y

Yu-hang Dong

Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, The Key Laboratory of Anti-Inflammatory of Immune Medicines, Ministry of Education, Anhui Institute of Innovative Drugs, School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University

S

Sai Zhu

Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, The Key Laboratory of Anti-Inflammatory of Immune Medicines, Ministry of Education, Anhui Institute of Innovative Drugs, School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University

L

Li-jin Peng

Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, The Key Laboratory of Anti-Inflammatory of Immune Medicines, Ministry of Education, Anhui Institute of Innovative Drugs, School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University

X

Xiang-Yu Li

Beijing Key Laboratory for Green Catalysis and Separation and Department of Chemical Engineering, College of Materials Science & Engineering

H

Hai-yong Chen

School of Chinese Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine

T

Tao Xu

J

Juan Jin

School of Basic Medicine, Anhui Medical University

F

Fei Xavier Chen

X

Xiao-ming Meng

Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, The Key Laboratory of Anti-Inflammatory of Immune Medicines, Ministry of Education, Anhui Institute of Innovative Drugs, School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University