Endoplasmic reticulum stress in kidney function and disease

Area of Science:

• Nephrology
• Cell Biology
• Pathology

Background:

• Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is increasingly implicated in the pathogenesis of diverse kidney diseases.
• The precise pathological mechanisms underlying ER stress-induced kidney damage remain incompletely understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and synthesize recent findings on the role of ER stress in kidney diseases.
• To elucidate the pathological pathways involved in ER stress-related renal pathologies.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of recent research on ER stress and kidney disease.
• Analysis of findings related to ER stress markers and pathways in various renal conditions.

Main Results:

• ER stress is observed in diabetic nephropathy, renal fibrosis, inflammation, contrast-induced injury, ischemia-reperfusion, genetic disorders, proteinuria, and cyclosporine A treatment.
• Chemical chaperones can alleviate symptoms, suggesting ER stress-induced apoptosis contributes to certain kidney diseases.
• While the PERK-ATF4-CHOP pathway can be proapoptotic, ER stress responses and autophagy also exhibit protective roles in some kidney diseases.

Conclusions:

• ER stress is a significant factor in the development of several kidney diseases.
• The ER stress response and autophagy, mechanisms for managing unfolded proteins, represent promising therapeutic targets for acute and chronic kidney diseases.