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Notch inhibition reverses kidney failure

Nature Medicine volume 14, pages 246–247 (2008)Cite this article

Inhibition of the Notch pathway reverses damage in a mouse model of kidney disease (pages 290–298). The findings suggest that blockade of the Notch pathway through inhibition of γ-secretase activity may be an approach to combating glomerular failure.

Damage to the podocytes, which are the glomerular filter cells in the kidney, and subsequent leakage of proteins into the urine is a harbinger of doom for renal function. In this issue of Nature Medicine, Thiruvur et al.1 implicate the Notch cell signaling pathway as a driving force behind podocyte damage, and subsequent kidney failure, among mice and men. Remarkably, inactivation of Notch signaling via genetic or pharmacologic intervention was sufficient to prevent and even reverse damage to the glomeruli.

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Figure 1: Notch in the kidney.

Katie Ris-Vicari

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Nephrology and Center for Computational Medicine and Biology, Matthias Kretzler and Lisa Allred are at the University of Michigan Medical Center, 1560 MSRB II, 1150 W. Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA. kretzler@umich.edu,

    Matthias Kretzler & Lisa Allred

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  1. Matthias Kretzler
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  2. Lisa Allred
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Kretzler, M., Allred, L. Notch inhibition reverses kidney failure. Nat Med 14, 246–247 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm0308-246

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