Developmental disorder of podocytes and the related renal diseases

Podocyte is one of the main components of glomerular filtration barrier in the kidney; the loss or dysfunction of podocyte could impair the functions of glomerular filtration barrier, leading to development of various renal diseases. Podocyte is a terminally differentiated cell, and thus does not possess any proliferative properties. Accordingly, its number and contribution to renal function are initially determined by its normal development. Information from the literature and results of our research indicate that genetic factors or prenatal adverse environment could cause developmental retardation of podocytes, thereby suggesting the potential fetal developmental origin(s) of kidney diseases, and involvement of epigenetic mechanisms in the regulation of key genes in podocyte development. In this review, we provide a brief overview on the podocyte normal development; discussion on the potential pathogenic mechanisms for developmental disorders of podocytes; as well as renal diseases associated with podocyte developmental retardation. We aim to provide some insights in articulating the strategies for diagnosis and treatments of renal diseases associated with podocyte developmental abnormalities.