Review Articles in 2024

Periodontal disease is very common and might represent a non-traditional risk factor for chronic kidney disease (CKD), independently of shared risk factors. Here, the authors discuss the interplay between these two non-communicable diseases, including the potential mechanisms underlying this bidirectional relationship.

Glomerular injury and damage to the glomerular filtration barrier can promote the development of tubulointerstitial fibrosis. Here, the authors discuss potential mechanisms underlying this effect, as well as the emerging evidence of the tubule–glomerulus crosstalk that promotes glomerular damage following tubular injury.

Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is a potent vasoactive peptide that is produced by various cell types of the kidney and regulates a variety of physiological processes. This Review describes the role of ET-1 in the kidney and in the development of chronic kidney disease, and the kidney-protective effects of endothelin-receptor antagonists in preclinical and clinical studies.

Integrins are heterodimeric transmembrane receptors that mediate crucial interactions between cells and extracellular matrix to regulate cellular functions such as intracellular signalling and organization of the actin cytoskeleton. This Review highlights the roles of integrins and integrin-binding proteins in the control of kidney-cell morphology and functions as well as their role in kidney diseases

Collagens are ubiquitously expressed and have been linked to a broad spectrum of disorders. Here, the authors discuss collagen subtypes and provide a summary of collagen disorders, fibrotic process and therapies, with an emphasis on kidney diseases.

The authors review the effect of chronic kidney disease (CKD) on female and male fertility and pregnancy outcomes. They also discuss the risk of pregnancy-associated CKD progression and the potential effect of maternal or paternal CKD on the offspring.

The catalogue of genetic factors that have been implicated in kidney disease continues to grow. In this guide to gene–disease relationships, the authors discuss the crucial process whereby genetic and experimental data are critically evaluated to determine whether a genetic variant has a role in kidney disease, which can affect patient diagnosis, prognosis and management.

Here, the authors describe approaches to investigating 3D genome architecture and dynamics. They discuss the physical organization and dynamic regulation of the genome and highlight studies that have provided insights into the roles of genome structure and regulation in kidney health and disease.

Here, the authors discuss the roles of renal nerves and the effects of renal denervation in hypertension, chronic kidney disease, heart failure and arrhythmias. They suggest that interruption of afferent pathways that modulate sympathetic nervous system activity are likely to underlie some of the beneficial effects of renal denervation.

Kidney fibrosis is a key pathological process in chronic kidney disease. Here, the authors examine how the metabolic reprogramming of kidney immune and non-immune cells in response to injury can promote fibrosis and consider the potential of metabolism-targeted therapies for preventing the development and progression of kidney fibrosis.

Polygenic scores model the combined risk of multiple variants across the genome to identify individuals at inherited risk of complex diseases. This Review discusses evolving methods for developing polygenic scores and describes examples across a spectrum of disease traits.

IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is thought to result from multiple hits that culminate in immune complex deposition in the kidney. Here, the authors describe the latest insights into the pathogenesis of IgAN and how they have revealed novel therapeutic targets and approaches to this disease.

The kidney has an important role in the handling of amino acids, facilitated by a complex network of kidney transporters and enzymes. This Review provides an overview of the role of the kidney in the synthesis, degradation, filtration, reabsorption and excretion of different amino acids and the relevance of these functions in the context of kidney physiology and disease.

Hyaluronan is a critical component of the extracellular matrix, with key roles in tissue homeostasis, cellular signalling and immune responses. Here, the authors describe the roles of hyaluronan in kidney development, adult kidney physiology and kidney disease.

In this Review, the authors examine advances in uromodulin biology, including the existence of non-polymeric forms of the protein, its versatile functions, crosstalk with the immune system, its potential as a biomarker and its role in kidney disease, as well as considering how uromodulin might be targeted therapeutically.

Here, the authors describe the roles of lymphocytes and innate immune cells in inflammatory responses and repair processes during acute kidney injury (AKI). They also discuss the roles of immune cells in crosstalk pathways that result in AKI-induced distant organ dysfunction.

Drug repurposing could expand the therapeutic options available to patients with glomerular disease. Here, the authors examine different approaches to the identification of drug candidates, consider current immunosuppressive and non-immunological options and discuss strategies to maximize drug repurposing in glomerular disease.

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) elicit cellular responses to an array of stimuli to regulate the function of virtually all organs. The diverse functions of GPCRs are determined by their expression profiles and their ability to adopt different active and inactive conformations, resulting in functional selectivity or biased signalling. This Review describes the mechanisms and consequences of biased GPCR signalling with a focus on GPCRs of relevance to the kidney.

The ability of the kidney to function normally declines with advancing age. This Review describes ageing processes that are relevant to age-related kidney diseases and the pathological mechanisms of chronic kidney disease in the context of premature ageing, as well as implications for diagnostic and therapeutic interventions.

Here, the authors examine the effect of the rapidly ageing global population on the health and economic burden of chronic kidney disease (CKD). They discuss factors that drive or could mitigate the CKD epidemic and highlight complications and symptoms of CKD that are common among older patients.