it diaphragm as a size-selective barrier for plasma macromolecules in the kidney, and extensive progress has been made in identifying key proteins contributing to the structure and function of this filter. Researchers from Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, now show that Neph1 is localized to the slit diaphragm and is directly involved in determining permeability through interactions with resident anchoring proteins ZO-1 and nephrin. Antibody-induced disruption of the Neph1-Nephrin interaction in vivo resulted in complement- and leukocyte-independent proteinuria. This study points to new possibilities for studying the pathogenesis of proteinuria.

TITLE: Neph1 and nephrin interaction in the slit diaphragm is an important determinant of glomerular permeability

AUTHOR CONTACT:
Sumant S. Chugh
Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Phone: 312-503-3072
Fax: 312-503-0622
E-mail: s-chugh@northwestern.edu

View the PDF of this article at: https://www.the-jci.org/press/18242.pdf

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Speeding surfactant production with KGF

Pulmonary surfactant lowers the surface tension at the air/liquid interface in the lung and prevents alveolar instability and small airway closure. Produced by type II alveolar epithelial cells, surfactant is composed predominantly of phospholipids. Understanding the regulation of lipid synthesis is important for developing new therapeutic strategies for increasing endogenous surfactant production. In order to characterize this system, researchers at the National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver, Colorado, identified culture conditions that stimulate lipogenesis in type II cells. Keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) increased synthesis of surfactant phospholipids and was found to regulate the expression of key transcription factors, lipogenic enz
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Contact: Brooke Grindlinger
science_editor@the-jci.org
212-342-9006
Journal of Clinical Investigation
15-Jul-2003

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