Review Articles

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This Review discusses the potential mechanisms by which regular exercise has beneficial effects on chronic inflammation, cardiovascular health, lipid metabolism, insulin resistance, sarcopenia and bone health in people with kidney disease. The authors highlight areas for further investigation to enhance the benefits of exercise for this population.

Any processes that impair kidney development in the developing fetus can have lifelong adverse consequences for renal health. Here, the authors discuss the effects of preterm birth and/or intrauterine growth restriction on kidney development and the impact of these exposures on the later development of chronic kidney disease.

Immune dysregulation contributes to the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. Here, the authors examine the role of immune cells and mediators in driving the oxidative stress and endothelial dysfunction that characterize this hypertensive disorder of pregnancy.

The gut microbiota is increasingly recognized as an important factor in human health and disease. Here, the authors focus on the role of the gut microbiome in blood pressure regulation and discuss its clinical implications, as well as the challenges and potential of microbiome research.

In this Review, the authors discuss the mineral-related factors and kidney-derived molecules that regulate osteocyte FGF23 production in health and disease. They also highlight potential approaches to the treatment of FGF23-related disorders of mineral metabolism that target key bone–kidney interactions.