Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 regulates the progression of autoimmune nephritis in males by inducing necrotic cell death and modulating inflammation.

Necrotic lesions and necrotic cell death characterize severe autoimmune nephritides, and contribute to local inflammation and to progression of the disease. Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1), a DNA repair enzyme, is involved in the induction of necrosis and is a key player in the acute and chronic inflammation. Therefore, we hypothesized that PARP-1 controls the severity of nephritis by mediating the induction of necrosis in the kidney. We used lupus and anti-glomerular basement membrane models of nephritis to determine the effects of PARP-1 on the inflammatory response in the kidney. We show in this study that PARP-1 is indeed activated during the course of glomerulonephritis. We also show that the absence of PARP-1 or its pharmacological inhibition results in milder nephritis, with lower blood urea nitrogen levels, reduced necrotic lesions, and higher survival rates. The relevance of PARP-1 showed a strong male sex specificity, and treatment of male mice with 17β-estradiol prolonged their survival during the course of nephritis. PARP-1 also regulated TNF-α expression and up-regulation of adhesion molecules, further supporting a role of PARP-1 in the inflammatory process within the kidney. Our results demonstrate that PARP-1 activation and consequent necrotic cell death play an important role in the pathogenesis of male nephritis, and suggest that PARP-1 can be a novel therapeutic target in glomerulonephritis.