Acetyl-CoA is a Key Molecule for Nephron Progenitor Cell Pool Maintenance

To uncover the effectors of metabolism-driven NPC differentiation, we compared the proteomic and transcriptomic signatures of renewing E13.5 NPC induced to differentiate with either glycolysis inhibition or Wnt activation. Acetate emerged as a key metabolite that play a role for NPC fate decision during kidney development. Comparative gene expression profiling analysis of RNA-seq data and proteomics signatures of isolated NPCs treated with the Wnt agonist CHIR or with YN1-mediated glycolysis inhibition. Freshly isolated E13.5 NPC (Six2+, Cited1+) were cultured for 24h in the presence or absence of either CHIR or YN1 separately. Then, NPCs were harvested and processed for bulk RNA seq or proteomics.