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Advillin acts upstream of phospholipase C ϵ1 in steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome
Jia Rao, Shazia Ashraf, Weizhen Tan, Amelie T. van der Ven, Heon Yung Gee, Daniela A. Braun, Krisztina Fehér, Sudeep P. George, Amin Esmaeilniakooshkghazi, Won-Il Choi, Tilman Jobst-Schwan, Ronen Schneider, Johanna Magdalena Schmidt, Eugen Widmeier, Jillian K. Warejko, Tobias Hermle, David Schapiro, Svjetlana Lovric, Shirlee Shril, Ankana Daga, Ahmet Nayir, Mohan Shenoy, Yincent Tse, Martin Bald, Udo Helmchen, Sevgi Mir, Afig Berdeli, Jameela A. Kari, Sherif El Desoky, Neveen A. Soliman, Arvind Bagga, Shrikant Mane, Mohamad A. Jairajpuri, Richard P. Lifton, Seema Khurana, Jose C. Martins, Friedhelm Hildebrandt
Jia Rao, Shazia Ashraf, Weizhen Tan, Amelie T. van der Ven, Heon Yung Gee, Daniela A. Braun, Krisztina Fehér, Sudeep P. George, Amin Esmaeilniakooshkghazi, Won-Il Choi, Tilman Jobst-Schwan, Ronen Schneider, Johanna Magdalena Schmidt, Eugen Widmeier, Jillian K. Warejko, Tobias Hermle, David Schapiro, Svjetlana Lovric, Shirlee Shril, Ankana Daga, Ahmet Nayir, Mohan Shenoy, Yincent Tse, Martin Bald, Udo Helmchen, Sevgi Mir, Afig Berdeli, Jameela A. Kari, Sherif El Desoky, Neveen A. Soliman, Arvind Bagga, Shrikant Mane, Mohamad A. Jairajpuri, Richard P. Lifton, Seema Khurana, Jose C. Martins, Friedhelm Hildebrandt
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Research Article Nephrology

Advillin acts upstream of phospholipase C ϵ1 in steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome

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Abstract

Steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS) is a frequent cause of chronic kidney disease. Here, we identified recessive mutations in the gene encoding the actin-binding protein advillin (AVIL) in 3 unrelated families with SRNS. While all AVIL mutations resulted in a marked loss of its actin-bundling ability, truncation of AVIL also disrupted colocalization with F-actin, thereby leading to impaired actin binding and severing. Additionally, AVIL colocalized and interacted with the phospholipase enzyme PLCE1 and with the ARP2/3 actin-modulating complex. Knockdown of AVIL in human podocytes reduced actin stress fibers at the cell periphery, prevented recruitment of PLCE1 to the ARP3-rich lamellipodia, blocked EGF-induced generation of diacylglycerol (DAG) by PLCE1, and attenuated the podocyte migration rate (PMR). These effects were reversed by overexpression of WT AVIL but not by overexpression of any of the 3 patient-derived AVIL mutants. The PMR was increased by overexpression of WT Avil or PLCE1, or by EGF stimulation; however, this increased PMR was ameliorated by inhibition of the ARP2/3 complex, indicating that ARP-dependent lamellipodia formation occurs downstream of AVIL and PLCE1 function. Together, these results delineate a comprehensive pathogenic axis of SRNS that integrates loss of AVIL function with alterations in the action of PLCE1, an established SRNS protein.

Authors

Jia Rao, Shazia Ashraf, Weizhen Tan, Amelie T. van der Ven, Heon Yung Gee, Daniela A. Braun, Krisztina Fehér, Sudeep P. George, Amin Esmaeilniakooshkghazi, Won-Il Choi, Tilman Jobst-Schwan, Ronen Schneider, Johanna Magdalena Schmidt, Eugen Widmeier, Jillian K. Warejko, Tobias Hermle, David Schapiro, Svjetlana Lovric, Shirlee Shril, Ankana Daga, Ahmet Nayir, Mohan Shenoy, Yincent Tse, Martin Bald, Udo Helmchen, Sevgi Mir, Afig Berdeli, Jameela A. Kari, Sherif El Desoky, Neveen A. Soliman, Arvind Bagga, Shrikant Mane, Mohamad A. Jairajpuri, Richard P. Lifton, Seema Khurana, Jose C. Martins, Friedhelm Hildebrandt

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Figure 2

WES identifies recessive mutations of AVIL in 3 families with SRNS.

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WES identifies recessive mutations of AVIL in 3 families with SRNS.
(A) ...
(A) Exon structure and functional domains of human AVIL cDNA. Positions of the start codon (ATG) and the stop codon (TAA) are indicated. Exons are marked on a black or white background. The length of protein domains is indicated by colored boxes. The positions of mutations (family numbers are underlined) are lined up by black arrows in relation to exons and protein domains (see also Table 1). (B) Ribbon diagram of the atomic structure of advillin. The gelsolin domains labeled S1 to S6 are color-coded blue (S1), aqua (S2), green (S3), yellow (S4), orange (S5), and red (S6), with actin shown in gray (Protein Data Bank [PDB] references: 1H1V and 1RGI). (C) Chromatograms of AVIL variants identified in individuals with SRNS. Sequence traces are shown for the variants above normal controls. Arrowheads denote altered nucleotides. (D) Multiple amino acid sequence alignment of AVIL throughout evolution and multiple sequence alignment of the human AVIL paralogs VIL1, VILL, SCIN, GSN, FLII, and SVIL using the Clustal_O program.

Copyright © 2026 American Society for Clinical Investigation
ISSN: 0021-9738 (print), 1558-8238 (online)

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