Parietal epithelial cells (PECs) are increasingly recognized as key players in the pathogenesis of proliferative glomerular diseases. A new study by Rizzo and colleagues contributes to this emerging concept and identifies potential novel signalling pathways that might mediate the activation of PECs. However, the functional role of PECs remains controversial.
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Acknowledgements
The authors' work is supported by the German Research Foundation SFB/TRR57 TP17 (M. J. Moeller) and the Else Kroener Fresenius Foundation (C. Kuppe).
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Moeller, M., Kuppe, C. The role of parietal epithelial cells in hyperplastic lesions. Nat Rev Nephrol 10, 5–6 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneph.2013.252
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneph.2013.252