CircAASS alleviates renal injury and fibrosis by regulating mitochondrial homeostasis in tubular epithelial cells

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is characterized by the dysfunction of renal tubular epithelial cells (TECs), often leading to renal fibrosis. Mitochondrial impairment is a common hallmark across various types of AKI. However, the potential role of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in modulating mitochondrial homeostasis during AKI and subsequent renal fibrosis remains underexplored. Our findings reveal a significant reduction of circAass levels in the renal cortex across all three AKI models. Mechanistically, circAASS mitigates TEC apoptosis and inflammatory responses by promoting mitochondrial homeostasis, thereby attenuating AKI. Specifically, cytoplasmic circAASS acts as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) by sequestering MIR324-3p, which in turn enhances the expression of PINK1, a critical regulator of mitophagy. Additionally, nuclear circAASS directly interacts with the PPARGC1A/PGC-1α protein, inhibiting its ubiquitin-mediated degradation and thereby promoting mitochondrial biogenesis. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the RNA-binding protein IGF2BP2 suppresses circAASS biogenesis by binding to intronic sequences in the AASS pre-mRNA. Restoring circAass in AKI mouse models improves both mitochondrial biogenesis and mitophagy, ameliorating pro-inflammatory responses of TECs and thus mitigating renal fibrosis. Decreased circAASS expression and its association with impaired mitochondrial function in TECs, followed by more severe renal fibrosis, are observed in AKI patients. Collectively, our results suggest that circAASS protects against AKI by regulating mitochondrial homeostasis, highlighting its potential as a therapeutic target for kidney injury.