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Enzymatic disease of the podocyte

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Abstract

Proteinuria is an early sign of kidney disease and has gained increasing attention over the past decade because of its close association with cardio-vascular and renal morbidity and mortality. Podocytes have emerged as the cell type that is critical in maintaining proper functioning of the kidney filter. A few genes have been identified that explain genetic glomerular failure and recent insights shed light on the pathogenesis of acquired proteinuric diseases. This review highlights the unique role of the cysteine protease cathepsin L as a regulatory rather than a digestive protease and its action on podocyte structure and function. We provide arguments why many glomerular diseases can be regarded as podocyte enzymatic disorders.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by US National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant DK073495 (to J.R.).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nephrology, University Hospital, Zürich, Switzerland

    Andreas D. Kistler

  2. Miami Institute of Renal Medicine, Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, 1580 NW 10th Street, Batchelor Bldg. #633A, Miami, FL, 33136, USA

    Andreas D. Kistler, Vasil Peev, Anna-Lena Forst, Shafic El Hindi, Mehmet M. Altintas & Jochen Reiser

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  1. Andreas D. Kistler
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Correspondence to Jochen Reiser.

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Kistler, A.D., Peev, V., Forst, AL. et al. Enzymatic disease of the podocyte. Pediatr Nephrol 25, 1017–1023 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00467-009-1425-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00467-009-1425-1

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