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Updated: Nov 23, 2025

Reliable and High Efficiency Extraction of Kidney Immune Cells
Published on: August 19, 2016
Innate lymphoid cells in kidney diseases
Ruifeng Wang1, Yiping Wang1, David C H Harris1
1Centre for Transplant and Renal Research, Westmead Institute for Medical Research, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Abstract:
It is well known that innate immune cells, including dendritic cells, macrophages, and natural killer cells, contribute to pathogenesis and protection in various kidney diseases. The understanding of innate immunity has been advanced recently by the discovery of a new group of innate lymphoid cells (ILCs), including ILC1, ILC2, and ILC3. ILCs lack adaptive antigen receptors, yet can be triggered by various pathogens and rapidly provide an abundant source of immunomodulatory cytokines to exert immediate immune reactions and direct subsequent innate and adaptive immune responses. ILCs play critical roles in immunity, tissue homeostasis, and pathological inflammation. In this review, we highlight the biological function of ILC subpopulations in the normal kidney, and their important roles in acute and chronic kidney diseases, thus demonstrating the emerging importance of ILC-regulated immunity in this special organ and providing insights for future research directions and therapeutic interventions.
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