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suPAR and chronic kidney disease—a podocyte story

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Abstract

The soluble urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) is a circulating signaling molecule derived from immature myeloid cells. Elevated levels of suPAR have been linked to the pathogenesis of the kidney disease focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis. Here, suPAR acts on podocytes by activating αvβ3 integrins. Large observational studies showed that suPAR also predicts chronic kidney disease incidence and progression by predating the disease by several years prior to any other known marker of renal dysfunction. suPAR is rapidly developing into a prime target for pharmacotherapy as its neutralization is forecasted to be feasible and safe.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Mehmet M Altintas (Rush University) on helping with the preparation of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Nephrology, Ruprecht Karls University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany

    Martin Zeier

  2. Department of Medicine, Rush University Medical Center, Kellogg Building, Suite 1003, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA

    Jochen Reiser

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  1. Martin Zeier
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  2. Jochen Reiser
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Correspondence to Jochen Reiser.

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Conflict of interest

J.R. is co-founder and shareholder of TRISAQ, a biotechnology company that develops therapy targeting the urokinase receptor.

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This article is part of the special issue on Functional Anatomy of the Kidney in Health and Disease in Pflügers Archiv—European Journal of Physiology

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Zeier, M., Reiser, J. suPAR and chronic kidney disease—a podocyte story. Pflugers Arch - Eur J Physiol 469, 1017–1020 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00424-017-2026-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00424-017-2026-7

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