Kidney articles from across Nature Portfolio

Calcium reabsorption along the nephron is essential for calcium homeostasis and whole-body electrolyte balance. Here, Staruschenko et al. highlight signalling pathways and molecules involved in renal calcium handling in health and disease, and discuss progress in the integration of systems-level and molecular understanding of calcium transport and regulation.

This study highlights the essential role of zyxin for podocytes. Zyxin loss in vitro reduced the expression of vinculin, VASP and matrix proteins. In mice, the knockout of zyxin resulted in proteinuria and effacement of podocyte foot processes.

ABO blood group compatibility restrictions limit the availability of organs for patients awaiting transplantation. Here, the authors show the rapid enzymatic removal of blood group A antigens from the vasculature of human kidneys using normothermic and hypothermic machine perfusion technologies to make universal blood group O organs for transplantation.

Kidney registries are essential to understanding the burden of kidney disease and facilitating the development of sustainable and effective programs for kidney disease prevention and care. Key barriers to implementation of registries at a global scale include funding and data quality. These issues warrant the attention of the global nephrology community.

Several publications from 2023 have substantiated the importance of altered NAD synthesis in kidney injury and disease progression. Now, NAD deficiency has been linked to the release of mitochondrial RNA and activation of pathways that induce inflammation. Another enzyme that governs mitochondrial function, PCK1, has also now been linked to kidney disease.

New research provides insights into the mechanisms underlying the renal protective effects of sodium glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors in lupus nephritis.

In a ground-breaking development, rat kidneys have been cryopreserved for an unprecedented duration of 100 days and subsequently transplanted successfully after nano-rewarming. This extraordinary achievement opens new possibilities for the field of organ banking.

A lack of federal access to health-care resources for undocumented immigrants in the USA has led to variability in access to health care — including dialysis — across states. Transforming dialysis care for these individuals is justified both on humanitarian and economic grounds, but requires a roadmap for advocacy and stakeholder engagement.