Sublytic C5b-9 induces protective autophagy in cultured podocytes

AIM: In podocytes, autophagy occurs at a high basal level and dysregulated autophagy is associa-ted with a variety of podocytopathies. This paper is to investigate the role of autophagy in sublytic C5b-9-induced podocyte injury. METHODS: Sublytic complement C5b-9 stimulation was used as an in vitro model. Autophagosomes were confirmed using monodansylcadaverine (MDC) staining. Immunoblotting was used to measure the change of autophagy-related markers. Cellular morphological changes were observed by Wright-Giemsa staining. Immunofluorescence staining and confocal microscopy were used to detect the expression and distribution of nephrin. The cell viability was assessed by methylthiazol tetrazolium (MTT) assay. The cell apoptosis was assessed by Annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate/PI staining. RESULTS: For ensuring sublytic complement injury, the maximal amounts of anti-podocyte antiserum and 160×-diluted normal human serum were used without inducing cell lysis (defined as >5% LDH release). Sublytic C5b-9 promoted autophagy of podocytes in vitro. The proautophagic effect of sublytic C5b-9 manifested in the form of accumulated MDC-labeled vesicles and enhanced the expression of LC3-Ⅱ. Autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenosine (3-MA) promoted sublytic C5b-9-induced podocyte morphological abnormalities. Compared with the sublytic C5b-9-injured podocytes, 3-MA exposure further decreased the expression of nephrin. 3-MA enhanced sublytic C5b-9-induced podocyte apoptosis. CONCLUSION: Sublytic C5b-9 attack induces autophagy, which may play a protective role against complement-mediated podocyte injury.