BAT3 interacts with transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) receptors and enhances TGF-β1-induced type I collagen expression in mesangial cells

Transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) plays essential roles in a wide array of cellular processes, such as in development and the pathogenesis of tissue fibrosis, including that associated with progressive kidney diseases. Tight regulation of its signaling pathways is critical, and proteins that associate with the TGF-beta receptors may exert positive or negative regulatory effects on TGF-beta signaling. In the present study we employed a yeast-based two-hybrid screening system to identify BAT3 (HLA-B-associated transcript 3) as a TGF-beta receptor-interacting protein. Analysis of endogenously expressed BAT3 in various tissues including the kidney reveals the existence of similar to 140kDa full-length protein as well as truncated forms of BAT3 whose expression is developmentally regulated. Endogenous BAT3 protein interacts with TGF-beta receptors type I and type II in renal mesangial cells. Functional assays show that expression of full-length BAT3 results in enhancement of TGF-beta 1-stimulated transcriptional activation of p3TP-Lux reporter, and these effects require the presence of functional TGF-beta signaling receptors as demonstrated in R-1B and DR-26 mutant cells. Moreover, expression of full-length BAT3, but not C-terminal truncated mutant of BAT3, enhanced TGF-beta 1-induced type I collagen expression in mesangial cells, whereas knock down of BAT3 protein expression by small interfering RNA suppressed the expression of type I collagen induced by TGF-beta 1. Our findings suggest that BAT3, a TGF-beta receptor-interacting protein, is capable of modulating TGF-beta signaling and acts as a positive regulator of TGF-beta 1 stimulation of type I collagen expression in mesangial cells.