Drp1-mediated mitochondrial fission promotes renal fibroblast activation and fibrogenesis

Excessive mitochondrial fission acts as a pro-proliferative marker in some cancers and organ fibrosis; its potential role in renal fibroblast activation and fibrogenesis has never been investigated. Here, we showed more pronounced fragmented mitochondria in fibrotic than in non-fibrotic renal fibroblast in humans and mice. In a mouse model of obstructive nephropathy, phosphorylation of Drp1 at serine 616 (p-Drp1S616) and acetylation of H3K27(H3K27ac) was increased in fibrotic kidneys; pharmacological inhibition of mitochondrial fission by mdivi-1 substantially reduced H3K27ac levels, fibroblasts accumulation, and interstitial fibrosis. Moreover, mdivi-1 treatment was able to attenuate the established renal fibrosis. In cultured renal interstitial fibroblasts, targeting Drp1 using pharmacological inhibitor or siRNA suppressed TGF-β1-elicited cell activation and proliferation, as evidenced by inhibiting expression of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and collagen I, as well as by reducing DNA synthesis. In contrast, Drp1 deletion enhanced cell apoptosis, along with decreased mitochondrial fragmentation, mtROS elevation, and glycolytic shift upon TGF-β1 stimulation. In Drp1 deletion fibroblasts, re-expression of wild-type Drp1 rather than Drp1S616A mutant restores the reduction of TGF-β-induced-Drp1 phosphorylation, H3K27ac, and cell activation. Moreover, TGF-β1 treatment increased the enrichment of H3K27ac at the promoters of α-SMA and PCNA, which was reversed in Drp1-knockdown fibroblasts co-transfected with empty vector or Drp1S616A, but not wild-type Drp1. Collectively, our results imply that inhibiting p-Drp1S616-mediated mitochondrial fission attenuates fibroblast activation and proliferation in renal fibrosis through epigenetic regulation of fibrosis-related genes transcription and may serve as a therapeutic target for retarding progression of chronic kidney disease.