Communication leading to injury: podocyte-derived fibrillin-1 induces mesangial cell activation and proliferation through EGFR signaling.

Abstract

The mechanism by which podocyte injury induces mesangial activation, a pathologic hallmark of glomerulosclerosis, is poorly understood. In this issue of Kidney International, He et al. identified the extracellular matrix protein fibrillin-1 as a key mediator of glomerular cell crosstalk by linking podocyte-derived fibrillin-1 to activating mesangial cells via sustained epidermal growth factor receptor- phosphoinositide 3-kinase-protein kinase B signaling. These findings reveal a novel extracellular matrix-mediated podocyte-mesangial cell communication axis within the glomerulus that could serve as a basis for novel therapeutic intervention.