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Published on: March 4, 2022
Transcriptional regulators in kidney disease: gatekeepers of renal homeostasis
N Henriette Uhlenhaut1, Mathias Treier
1Developmental Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany.
Abstract:
Although we are rapidly gaining a more complete understanding of the genes required for kidney function, the molecular pathways that actively maintain organ homeostasis are only beginning to emerge. The study of the most common genetic cause of renal failure, polycystic kidney disease, has revealed a surprising role for primary cilia in controlling nuclear gene expression and cell division during development as well as maintenance of kidney architecture. Conditions that disturb kidney integrity seem to be associated with reversal of developmental processes that ultimately lead to kidney fibrosis and end-stage renal disease (ESRD). In this review, we discuss transcriptional regulators and networks that are important in kidney disease, focusing on those that mediate cilia function and drive renal fibrosis.
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