2015 Research Annual Report

Nephrology and Hypertension

Insights into cell growth, cell death offer new pathways to treat kidney disease

One of the challenges for kidney specialists is protecting the kidney from too much protein, which can contribute to progressive damage that leads to end-stage renal disease. Proximal tubule epithelial cells internalize albumin by receptor-mediated endocytosis and undergo apoptosis − programmed cell death − when exposed to too much albumin, the primary protein in the filtrate.