Adaptor protein is a new therapeutic target in chronic kidney disease

Ergothinoneine, derived from food, has powerful antioxidant effects. In this issue, Shinozaki et al. showed a novel kidney-intestine interaction, mediated by the postsynaptic density 95/disk-large/ZO-1 domain-containing protein (PDZK1)-organic cation transporter 1 (OCTN1)-ergothinoneine axis. In chronic kidney disease, decreased PDZK1 disturbed the localization of OCTN1 on the intestine, resulting in decreased serum ergothinoneine, which canceled the compensatory expression of OCTN1 in the kidney. Because PDZK1 regulates the function of several transporters, targeting PDZK1 may be a new therapeutic target in chronic kidney disease. Copyright (C) 2017, International Society of Nephrology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.