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The origin of scar-forming kidney myofibroblasts

Nature Medicine volume 19, pages 964–966 (2013)Cite this article

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Whereas diabetes and hypertension predominate as the etiology of chronic kidney disease (CKD), all primary causes share a common progression pathway due to scarring or fibrosis. Understanding what cells are the sources of scar-forming cells is of utmost importance (pages 1047–1053).

The destruction of normal parenchymal tissue within solid organs due to scar-generating extracellular matrix (ECM) deposits is a fundamental process for many chronic diseases. The human kidney is especially vulnerable, with an estimated 10–14% of the adult population known to have CKD. The focal point of tissue fibrosis is a unique population of α-smooth muscle actin (αSMA)-positive myofibroblasts that appear de novo in response to injury, after which they synthesize excessive quantities of ECM.

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Figure 1: Origin of scar-associated kidney myofibroblasts.

Marina Corral Spence

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  1. Allison A. Eddy is at the Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,

    Allison A Eddy

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  1. Allison A Eddy
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Correspondence to Allison A Eddy.

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Eddy, A. The origin of scar-forming kidney myofibroblasts. Nat Med 19, 964–966 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm.3299

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