p38 MAP kinase mediates mechanically induced COX-2 and PG EP<sub>4</sub>receptor expression in podocytes: implications for the actin cytoskeleton
Bibliographic record
Abstract
A dynamic cytoskeleton allows podocytes to withstand significant mechanical stress on elevation of intraglomerular capillary pressure (Pgc). However, vasoactive hormones, such as prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), may challenge the integrity of the actin cytoskeleton, alter podocyte morphology, and compromise glomerular permeability. PGE2 synthesis correlates with the onset of proteinuria and increased Pgc following reduced nephron mass. We investigated the interplay among mechanical stress, cyclooxygenase (COX), E-prostanoid (EP) receptor expression, and the actin cytoskeleton, using an in vitro model of cell stretch. Immortalized mouse podocytes grown on flexible silicone membranes were cyclically stretched (5% elongation, 0.5 Hz) for 2 h. EP4 and COX-2 mRNA increased three- and sevenfold above nonstretched controls, whereas EP1 and COX-1 levels were unchanged. Six hours of stretch resulted in a threefold increase in PGE2-stimulated cAMP accumulation, a measure of EP4 receptor function, and an increase in COX-2 protein. The stretch-induced effects on COX-2/EP4 expression and EP4-induced cAMP production were attributable to p38 MAP kinase, as blockade of this pathway, but not of ERK or JNK, abrogated the response. These stretch-induced changes in expression were transcriptionally dependent as they were actinomycin D sensitive. Finally, we investigated the influence of enhanced EP4 signaling on the actin cytoskeleton. Addition of PGE2 resulted in actin filament depolymerization observable only in stretched cells. Our results indicate that key components of the eicosanoid pathway are upregulated by mechanically stimulated p38 MAP kinase in podocytes. Enhanced EP4 receptor signaling may undermine podocyte cytoskeletal dynamics and thereby compromise filtration barrier function under conditions of increased Pgc.
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How this classification was reachedexpand
Full frame distilled prediction
Teacher imitationNot calibrated prevalence, not ground truth. Human validation pending. Learned from the 10,348 direct Codex labels and 10,348 direct Gemma labels. Candidate is the union of thresholded teacher heads; consensus is their intersection. These outputs are machine_predicted_unvalidated and are not human labels or direct frontier model labels.
Codex and Gemma teacher scores by category
| Category | Codex | Gemma |
|---|---|---|
| Metaresearch | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Meta-epidemiology (narrow) | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Meta-epidemiology (broad) | 0.001 | 0.000 |
| Bibliometrics | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Science and technology studies | 0.000 | 0.001 |
| Scholarly communication | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Open science | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Research integrity | 0.000 | 0.001 |
| Insufficient payload (model declined to judge) | 0.000 | 0.000 |
Machine scores (provisional)
The two teacher heads of the student model, read on this work. A score orders the frame for review; it never asserts a category, and the validation status ships verbatim with every row.
Baseline scores from an immature model (maturity gate not passed, 7 training rounds). Scores rank; they never assert a category.
score_only:v0-immature-baseline · verbatim from the scoring run: score_only means the number may rank works, and no category label ships from itClassification
machine, unvalidatedMachine predicted; a candidate call from one teacher head, not a consensus.
How this classification was reached, model by model and score by score, is at the end of the page under "How this classification was reached".