Loss of Hnf1b in differentiated proximal tubule cells uncovers nephron segment plasticity.

Authors

Zeinab Dehghani-Ghobadi, Eunah Chung, Azadeh Haghighitalab, Mohammed Sayed, Christopher Ahn, Yueh-Chiang Hu, Hee-Woong Lim, Joo-Seop Park

Published in

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology. Aug 13, 2026. Epub Aug 13, 2026.

Abstract

HNF1B is a transcription factor required for proximal tubule (PT) specification during kidney development, but whether it is also required to maintain PT identity after differentiation remains unknown. Using PT-specific genetic deletion in mice, we found that loss of Hnf1b in differentiated PT cells causes cyst formation and early postnatal lethality. PT-specific transcriptomic analysis revealed downregulation of PT-specific gene programs, including Hnf4a and PT-enriched transport and metabolic genes. Strikingly, Hnf1b -deficient PT cells ectopically activated podocyte-specific genes, including Wt1 and Nphs1 , demonstrating that PT cells retain the capacity to engage alternative nephron segment programs when identity-stabilizing mechanisms are disrupted. In addition, loss of Hnf1b disrupted epithelial integrity, as evidenced by reduced epithelial adhesion gene expression and induction of mesenchymal markers. Wnt/β-catenin signaling was also aberrantly activated, suggesting broader dysregulation of epithelial homeostasis. These findings establish HNF1B as a critical post-specification regulator of PT identity that sustains PT-specific transcriptional programs and actively suppresses alternative segmental identity programs.

PMID:
42845647
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 08 Oct 2026.

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