Conclusions
A novel protective role of Mecp2 against AKI via repressing the Il-6/STAT3 axis was suggested.
Methods
Renal tubular cell specific Mecp2 deletion mice challenged with IR injury were used to investigate the effects of Mecp2 on renal tubular damage, function, cell death, fibrosis and inflammation. Cultured renal epithelial cell lines were transfected with wildtype or different domain-deletion mutants of Mecp2 to study the effects of Mecp2 on Il-6/STAT3 signaling.
Results
Our results indicated rapidly upregulated Mecp2 upon acute in vivo and in vitro renal injury. Notably, increased tubular MeCP2 staining was also found in the renal sections of AKI patients. Furthermore, ablation of Mecp2 aggravated renal injury, and promoted renal cell death, inflammation, and fibrosis. Mechanistically, through its transcriptional repression domain, Mecp2 bound to the promoter of proinflammatory cytokine Il-6 to negatively regulate its expression, thus inhibiting STAT3 activation. Conclusions: A novel protective role of Mecp2 against AKI via repressing the Il-6/STAT3 axis was suggested.