Foreseeing the future of glomerular disease through slits: miR-NPNT axis

Podocyte biology is an important key factor for the maintenance of glomerular function and structure. Nephronectin is a podocyte-derived extracellular matrix protein in the glomerular basement membrane. Suppression of nephronectin expression by microRNA-378a-3p significantly induced proteinuria due to loss of integrity of the glomerular filtration barrier in zebrafish and mice, demonstrating the relevance of the microRNA-nephronectin axis in regulation of the podocyte-glomerular basement membrane interaction and integrity of the glomerular filtration barrier. Copyright (C) 2017, International Society of Nephrology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.