Updated project metadata.
Increased export of transglutaminase-2 (TG2) by tubular epithelial cells (TECs) into the surrounding interstitium modifies the extracellular homeostatic balance leading to fibrotic membrane expansion. Although silencing of extracellular TG2 ameliorates progressive kidney scarring in animal models of chronic kidney disease, the pathway through which TG2 is secreted from TECs and contributes to disease progression has not been elucidated. In this study, we developed a global proteomic approach to identify binding partners of TG2 responsible for TG2 externalization in kidneys subjected to unilateral ureteric obstruction, using TG2-knockout kidneys as negative controls. We report a robust and unbiased analysis of the membrane interactome of TG2 in fibrotic kidneys relative to the entire proteome post-UUO detected by SWATH-mass spectrometry.