Temporal and sex-dependent gene expression patterns in a renal ischemia-reperfusion injury and recovery pig model

Men are more prone to acute kidney injury (AKI) and chronic kidney disease (CKD), progressing to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) than women. Severity and capacity to regenerate after AKI are important determinants of CKD progression, and of patient morbidity and mortality in the hospital setting. To determine sex differences during injury and recovery we have generated a female and male renal ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) pig model, which represents a major cause of AKI. Although no differences were found in blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and serum creatinine (SCr) levels between both sexes, females exhibited higher mononuclear infiltrates at basal and recovery, while males showed more tubular damage at injury. Global transcriptomic analyses of kidney biopsies from our IRI pig model revealed a sexual dimorphism in the temporal regulation of genes and pathways relevant for kidney injury and repair, which was also detected in human samples. Enrichment analysis of gene sets revealed five temporal and four sexual patterns governing renal IRI and recovery. Overall, this study constitutes an extensive characterization of the time and sex differences occurring during renal IRI and recovery at gene expression level and offers a template of translational value for further study of sexual dimorphism in kidney diseases. AUTHOR SUMMARYKidneys correct functioning is essential for optimal body homeostasis, being their basic functions blood filtration and excretion of wastes and toxins. Inherited or acquired conditions can cause renal dysfunction requiring renal replacement therapy, which will affect patients life quality and survival. A major cause of kidney failure is the renal ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI), which occurs in many clinical situations like kidney transplantation or aortic aneurysm surgery. Interestingly, men are more susceptible to IRI than women, being women more protected against kidney injury. However, the genetics regulating these sex differences in injury and renal repair remained unknown. Here, we provide a novel porcine model to study renal injury and recovery in both males and females. Using this model, we have identified the gene sets involved in renal injury and recovery processes. Moreover, global genetic analyses allowed us to discover the temporal and sex-dependent patterns that regulate those gene sets and, finally, kidney damage and repair. A relevant finding of our study is that males develop a feminized genetic profile during recovery, which may represent a survival mechanism to diminish the androgenic pro-damage effects on kidney cells. To sum up, our results provide novel sex-dependent targets to prevent renal injury and promote kidney recovery.