Organelle Stress and Crosstalk in Kidney Disease

Organelles play important roles in maintaining cellular homeostasis. Organelle stress responses, especially in mitochondria, endoplasmic reticula (ER), and primary cilia, are deeply involved in kidney disease pathophysiology. Mitochondria are the center of energy production in most eukaryotic cells. Renal proximal tubular cells are highly energy demanding and abundant in mitochondria. Mitochondrial dysfunctions in association with energy metabolism alterations produce reactive oxygen species and promote inflammation in proximal tubular cells, resulting in progression of kidney disease. The ER play critical roles in controlling protein quality. Unfolded protein response (UPR) pathways are the adaptive response to ER stress for maintaining protein homeostasis. UPR pathway dysregulation under pathogenic ER stress often occurs in glomerular and tubulointerstitial cells and promotes progression of kidney disease. The primary cilia sense extracellular signals and maintain calcium homeostasis in cells. Dysfunction of the primary cilia in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease reduces the calcium concentration in proximal tubular cells, leading to increased cell proliferation and retention of cyst fluid. In recent years, the direct interaction at membrane contact sites has received increased attention in association with the development of imaging technologies. The part of the ER that is directly connected to mitochondria is termed the mitochondria-associated ER membrane (MAM), which regulates calcium homeostasis and phospholipid metabolism in cells. Disruption of MAM integrity collapses cellular homeostasis and leads to diseases such as diabetes and Alzheimer disease. This review summarizes recent research on organelle stress and crosstalk, and their involvement in kidney disease pathophysiology. In addition, potential treatment options that target organelle stress responses are discussed.