Inhibition of p66ShcA Longevity Gene Rescues Podocytes from HIV-1-induced Oxidative Stress and Apoptosis

Glomerular visceral epithelial cells (podocytes) play a critical role in the pathogenesis of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated nephropathy. A key question concerns the mechanism(s) by which the HIV-1 genome alters the phenotype of the highly specialized, terminally differentiated podocytes. Here, using an in vitro system of conditionally immortalized differentiated human podocytes (CIDHPs), we document a pivotal role for the p66ShcA protein in HIV-1-induced reactive oxygen species generation and CIDHP apoptosis. CIDHP transfected with truncated HIV-1 construct (NL4-3) exhibit increased reactive oxygen species metabolism, DNA strand breaks, and a 5-fold increase in apoptosis, whereas the opposite was true for NL4-3/CIDHP co-transfected with mu-36p66ShcA (mu-36) dominant negative expression vector or isoform-specific p66-small interfering RNA. Phosphorylation at Ser-36 of the wild type p66ShcA protein, required for p66ShcA redox function and inhibition of the potent stress response regulator Foxo3a, was unchanged in mu-36/NL4-3/CIDHP but increased in NL4-3/CIDHP. Acute knockdown of Foxo3a by small interfering RNA induced a 50% increase in mu-36/NL4-3/CIDHP apoptosis, indicating that Foxo3a-dependent responses promote the survival phenotype in mu-36 cells. We conclude that inhibition of p66ShcA redox activity prevents generation of HIV-1 stress signals and activation of the CIDHP apoptosis program.