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Cell Phenotype Transitions in Renal Fibrosis

  • Matrix Pathobiology (Youhua Liu, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Pathobiology Reports

Abstract

Kidney fibrosis continues to be a topic of enormous biomedical importance as the histologic manifestation of chronic kidney disease regardless of etiology. An active debate surrounds the fundamental issue of identity and ontogeny of the cells responsible for producing renal fibrosis, beginning with the hypothesis that epithelial cells undergo a phenotypic transition to a mesenchymal state (epithelial–mesenchymal transition) to populate the interstitium as myofibroblasts. The subsequent publication of a large body of experimental evidence supports the notion of phenotypic alteration on the part of renal tubular epithelial cells, but their contribution to the interstitial myofibroblast population has not been reproducible. Rather, the emerging concept of a partial epithelial–mesenchymal transition is gaining traction, in which epithelial cells remain localized to the tubule while expressing mesenchymal markers and contributing to fibrosis through signaling. Phenotypic transitions have also been studied in endothelial cells, pericytes, and bone marrow-derived cells. The relative importance of each of these cell types’ contributions to renal fibrosis is an ongoing question. As the fibrotic kidney shows histopathologic alteration in most of its compartments, a likely scenario invokes a complex interaction between tubules, interstitium, and vessels, with gene expression changes and some degree of phenotypic transition across the spectrum of cell types.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Renal Electrolyte and Hypertension Division, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Nora Ledo & Katalin Susztak

  2. 1st Department of Internal Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary

    Nora Ledo

  3. Department of Pathology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 6 Founders Pavilion, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Matthew B. Palmer

Authors
  1. Nora Ledo
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  2. Katalin Susztak
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  3. Matthew B. Palmer
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Correspondence to Matthew B. Palmer.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Matrix Pathobiology.

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Ledo, N., Susztak, K. & Palmer, M.B. Cell Phenotype Transitions in Renal Fibrosis. Curr Pathobiol Rep 4, 19–25 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40139-016-0098-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40139-016-0098-2

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