Review Articles

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  • During disasters, the morbidity and mortality of patients with kidney disease far exceeds that of the general population. Here, the authors discuss the medical and logistical problems that are faced by these patients and their care-givers during mass disasters and suggest pragmatic approaches to improve patient outcomes.

    • Mehmet Sukru Sever
    • Valerie Luyckx
    • Raymond Vanholder
    Review Article
  • The bladder and kidney engage adaptive and innate immune responses to prevent urinary tract infections and minimize tissue injury following infection. Here, the authors describe the mechanisms used by uropathogenic bacteria to establish and promote kidney infection, as well as the immune defence mechanisms used by resident kidney cells and infiltrating immune cells to eradicate infection.

    • Laura Schwartz
    • Juan de Dios Ruiz-Rosado
    • John David Spencer
    Review Article
  • Aquaporins have diverse roles in various homeostatic and physiological systems beyond their role in renal water handling. This Review describes the role of mammalian aquaporins in the transport of solutes other than water and their involvement in processes such as metabolism, cellular migration, cell adhesion, cell polarity and cell signalling.

    • Frédéric H. Login
    • Lene N. Nejsum
    Review Article
  • This Review examines insights from genetic studies of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), including observations from reports of monogenic SLE, as well as the role of common and rare variants. The authors also discuss age-associated B cells, as the integration of genetic, epigenetic and transcriptomic data suggests a key role for these cells in SLE.

    • Carola G. Vinuesa
    • Nan Shen
    • Thuvaraka Ware
    Review Article
  • Here, the authors describe regulatory T (Treg) cell development and function and discuss how molecular anomalies or genetic variations in Treg cells contribute to autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. They also discuss how Treg cells can be exploited to treat kidney diseases and to induce immune tolerance, particularly in kidney transplantation.

    • Norihisa Mikami
    • Shimon Sakaguchi
    Review Article
  • Meoli and Günzel elucidate the role of claudins (a family of tight junction proteins) in maintaining electrolyte and water homeostasis. With this Review, the authors aim to stimulate investigations on claudins as prognostic markers or as druggable targets in kidney disease.

    • Luca Meoli
    • Dorothee Günzel
    Review Article
  • Circulating non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are derived from specific cell types and can be directly transferred to a variety of cells to affect their function. This Review describes the relevance of circulating ncRNAs to the development of kidney disease and discusses the potential use of circulating ncRNAs as diagnostic factors and therapeutic targets.

    • Anton Jan van Zonneveld
    • Qiao Zhao
    • Roel Bijkerk
    Review Article
  • Portable, wearable and implantable artificial kidney systems require compact and efficient dialysate regeneration systems and novel membranes for improved toxin removal and long-term patency. Here, the authors discuss efforts to overcome these challenges and future perspectives for achieving miniaturized dialysis.

    • David Loureiro Ramada
    • Joost de Vries
    • Dimitrios Stamatialis
    Review Article
  • This Review examines the contribution of innate and adaptive immune cells to the pathogenesis of lupus nephritis, including new insights into the molecular mechanisms that drive this disease, such as recognition of endogenous chromatin by endosomal and cytosolic nucleic acid sensors.

    • Chandra Mohan
    • Ting Zhang
    • Chaim Putterman
    Review Article
  • Autoimmune diseases are a diverse group of conditions characterized by aberrant B cell and T cell reactivity to normal host constituents. This Review provides an overview of the basis of autoimmune disease with a focus on autoantibodies, given their valuable role as markers for diagnosis, classification and of disease activity.

    • David S. Pisetsky
    Review Article
  • Complement proteins and receptors with intracellular activity — the complosome — have emerged as important regulators of physiological processes. In this Review, the authors examine evidence of complosome activity across a variety of cells and tissues, as well as their contributions to human disease and therapeutic potential.

    • Erin E. West
    • Claudia Kemper
    Review Article
  • Here, the authors discuss tertiary lymphoid structure (TLS) development, maintenance and function, with a focus on the roles of TLSs in autoimmune disease, cancer, infection and chronic age-related inflammatory diseases. They also discuss the clinical implications of TLSs in various tissues and diseases.

    • Yuki Sato
    • Karina Silina
    • Motoko Yanagita
    Review Article
  • In this Review, the authors describe biological networks, discuss the properties that make these networks ideal for understanding how diseases arise from complex interactions of molecular and cellular systems, and explore how network medicine can be used to improve understanding of kidney and renovascular diseases.

    • Arvind K. Pandey
    • Joseph Loscalzo
    Review Article
  • In this Review, the authors discuss the molecular and cellular mechanisms by which pathogenic variants in various genes cause distal renal tubular acidosis with renal and extrarenal manifestations. They also discuss acquired and incomplete forms of distal renal tubular acidosis.

    • Carsten A. Wagner
    • Robert Unwin
    • Stephen Walsh
    Review Article
  • Renal cell carcinoma is sensitive to immune checkpoint blockade despite having a moderate traditional tumour mutational burden profile. Here, the authors discuss how the high prevalence of frameshift insertion or deletions in renal cell carcinoma, as well as the reactivation of endogenous retroviral gene expression, might provide alternative neoantigens that potentiate responses to immunotherapy.

    • Melissa M. Wolf
    • W. Kimryn Rathmell
    • Aguirre A. de Cubas
    Review Article
  • Despite advances in cell and gene therapy for the treatment of disease, no such interventions currently target the kidney. Here, the authors review the potential for cell and gene therapies to be applied to kidney disease, highlighting recent genetic studies, key technical advances and considerations, and areas for further investigation.

    • Jennifer L. Peek
    • Matthew H. Wilson
    Review Article
  • Pathways of regulated cell death may contribute to the pathogenesis of various kidney diseases. Here, the authors provide an overview of the relationship between necroptosis, pyroptosis, ferroptosis and apoptosis, the evidence supporting a role for these regulated pathways of necrosis in kidney disease, strategies for therapeutic targeting and research needs.

    • Ana B. Sanz
    • Maria Dolores Sanchez-Niño
    • Alberto Ortiz
    Review Article
  • Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent mechanism of regulated necrosis that is driven by the robust oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acid-containing phospholipids. This Review describes the fundamental mechanisms of ferroptosis, the potential contribution of ferroptosis to kidney disease and therapeutic strategies for targeting ferroptosis.

    • Hülya Bayır
    • Scott J. Dixon
    • Valerian E. Kagan
    Review Article
  • In this Review, the authors describe the roles of lysosomes in cellular clearance, autophagy, cell signalling, nutrient sensing and metabolic adaptation. They also discuss lysosome abnormalities in metabolic and autoimmune diseases and potential lysosome-targeting therapeutic strategies.

    • Frédéric Gros
    • Sylviane Muller
    Review Article
  • The DNA damage response is essential to genomic stability. Here, the authors discuss DNA damage-induced nephrotoxicity and kidney cancer, and the essential role of DNA repair in kidney homeostasis, as well as its potential to contribute to kidney dysfunction, including the links between DNA damage, cell-cycle control and ciliopathies.

    • Juan I. Garaycoechea
    • Catherine Quinlan
    • Martijn S. Luijsterburg
    Review Article