Heme oxygenase-1 modulates mesangial cell proliferation by p21 Waf1 upregulation

Mesangial cell (MC) proliferation is a hallmark of many progressive renal diseases. Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) has been shown to have an anti-proliferative effect on vascular smooth muscle cells. In the present study, we evaluated the role of HO-1 on MC proliferation and the involved molecular mechanism. Both epidermal growth factor (EGF) and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) not only enhanced mesangial cell HO-1 expression but also stimulated proliferation of MCs. Interestingly, inhibition of HO-1 induction (by zinc protoporphyrin, ZnP) was associated with an accelerated mitogenic response to EGF and HGF in MCs. Induction of HO-1 was associated with enhanced mesangial cell p21 expression. On the other hand, hemoglobin and ZnP inhibited mesangial cell p21 expression. It appears that the effect of HO-1 on MC growth may be mediated through upregulation of p21 expression.