Biomaterial Database

Podocyte biology for the bedside. 2011

J Ashley Jefferson, and Charles E Alpers, and Stuart J Shankland

Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA. jjefferson@nephrology.washington.edu

The explosion of podocyte biology during the last decade has radically altered our views on the pathophysiologic process of proteinuria, glomerular disease, and progressive kidney disease. In this review, we highlight some of these landmark findings, but focus on recent advances in the field and implications for translating this biology into therapy for podocyte diseases.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007674	Kidney Diseases	Pathological processes of the KIDNEY or its component tissues.	Disease, Kidney,Diseases, Kidney,Kidney Disease
D005923	Glomerulosclerosis, Focal Segmental	A clinicopathological syndrome or diagnostic term for a type of glomerular injury that has multiple causes, primary or secondary. Clinical features include PROTEINURIA, reduced GLOMERULAR FILTRATION RATE, and EDEMA. Kidney biopsy initially indicates focal segmental glomerular consolidation (hyalinosis) or scarring which can progress to globally sclerotic glomeruli leading to eventual KIDNEY FAILURE.	Glomerulonephritis, Focal Sclerosing,Hyalinosis, Segmental Glomerular,Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis,Glomerulosclerosis, Focal,Hyalinosis, Segmental,Segmental Glomerular Hyalinosis,Focal Glomerulosclerosis,Focal Sclerosing Glomerulonephritides,Focal Sclerosing Glomerulonephritis,Glomerular Hyalinosis, Segmental,Glomerulonephritides, Focal Sclerosing,Sclerosing Glomerulonephritides, Focal,Sclerosing Glomerulonephritis, Focal,Segmental Glomerulosclerosis, Focal,Segmental Hyalinosis
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D050199	Podocytes	Highly differentiated epithelial cells of the visceral layer of BOWMAN CAPSULE of the KIDNEY. They are composed of a cell body with major CELL SURFACE EXTENSIONS and secondary fingerlike extensions called pedicels. They enwrap the KIDNEY GLOMERULUS capillaries with their cell surface extensions forming a filtration structure. The pedicels of neighboring podocytes interdigitate with each other leaving between them filtration slits that are bridged by an extracellular structure impermeable to large macromolecules called the slit diaphragm, and provide the last barrier to protein loss in the KIDNEY.	Visceral Epithelial Cells, Glomerular,Epithelial Cells, Glomerular Visceral,Glomerular Visceral Epithelial Cells,Podocyte