Role of ESAT-6 in renal injury by regulating microRNA-155 expression via TLR4/MyD88 signaling pathway in mice with Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection
Authors: Zhong-Qi Zhou
Zhi-Kui Wang
Nan Zhao
Fu-Yun Sun
Yue-Qin Ren
Lei Zhang
Zhong-Wei Ma
Journal: Bioscience Reports (2017)
Discipline: MOLECULAR BIOLOGY & GENETICS
Keywords: Early secretory antigenic target-6; MicroRNA-155; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Myeloid differentiation factor 88; Renal injury
Affiliations: Department of Nephrology, Linyi People's Hospital, Linyi 276003, P.R. China., Department of Nephrology, Linyi People's Hospital, Linyi 276003, P.R. China ., Department of Second Nephrology, Cangzhou Central Hospital, Cangzhou 061000, P.R. China.

Abstract:  The study aims to investigate the underlying mechanism involved in the early secretory antigenic target-6 (ESAT-6) in renal injury through regulation of the expression of miR-155 through the oll-like receptor (TLR)-4 (TLR4)/myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) signaling pathway in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB)-infected mice. Sixty C57BL/6 mice with MTB-induced renal injury were randomly assigned into control, MTB, mimic, inhibitor, inhibitor + ESAT6, and inhibitor + ESAT6 + TAK242 groups. Body weight, the ratio of kidney weight to body weight (Kw/Bw), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and serum creatinine (Scr) of mice were measured. Flow cytometry was used to detect renal activation in mice. Expressions of miR-155 and ESAT6 were detected by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), and Western blotting was used to examine the expressions of ESAT6, TLR4, and MyD88. Expressions of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-17 (IL-17), and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) were measured by qRT-PCR and ELISA. Compared with the control group, the BUN and Scr levels as well as the expression levels of miR-155, TLR4, MyD88, TNF-α, IL-17, and IFN-γ increased, while Kw/Bw decreased in the MTB and mimic groups. In comparison with the MTB group, the above indexes except Kw/Bw were elevated in the mimic group, but were reduced in the inhibitor group, while the Kw/Bw dropped in the mimic group but increased in the inhibitor group. Compared with the inhibitor group, the Kw/Bw decreased while the rest of the indexes increased in the inhibitor + ESAT6 group. ESAT6 may induce renal injury by promoting miR-155 expression through the TLR-4/MyD88 signaling pathway in MTB-infected mice. 

Retracted: Yes

PubPeer comments:
 Fig 3C  (C) protein band of ESAT6 in renal tissue . ![file] Curiously, the GAPDH loading control appears in a number of other papers by unrelated authors. E.g. Fig 6A in [Chen et al (2017)] and 5B of [Wu et al (2018)] ; ![] or 5B from [Wang et al (2018)] and Figure 6A,C from [Wen et al (2018)] . ![] , 
 Retracted [28 September 2020] . ------------------------------ This article is being retracted from Bioscience Reports at the request of the Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Board following receipt of a notification from a reader, alerting the Editorial Board to duplicated Western blots in Figure 3C, which have appeared in multiple publications by different author groups. The authors have been contacted in regards to the retraction, and have not responded to the Journal s queries and the concerns raised. The Editorial Board stand by the decision to retract given the concerns with the figures. ,