Phosphorylation of caveolin-1 is anti-apoptotic and promotes cell attachment during oxidative stress of kidney cells

Summary Aims Caveolin-1 (cav1) is reported to have both cell survival and pro-apoptotic characteristics. This may be explained by its localisation or phosphorylation in injured cells. This study investigated the role of cav1 in kidney cells of different nephron origin and developmental state after oxidative stress. Methods Renal MCDK distal tubular, HK2 proximal tubular epithelial cells and HEK293T renal embryonic cells were treated with 1 mM hydrogen peroxide. Apoptosis, loss of cell adhesion, and cell survival were compared with expression of cav1 in its non-phosphorylated and phosphorylated (p-cav1) forms. Cav1 was transfected into the HEK293T cells, or caveolae were disrupted with filipin or nystatin in HK2 cells, to investigate functions of cav1 and p-cav1. Results Oxidative stress induced more apoptosis in HK2s than MDCKs ( p p p p Conclusion Cav1 expression and localisation in kidney cells is not anti-apoptotic, but increased expression of p-cav1 may promote cell survival after oxidative stress.