What is the meaning of podocyte?
Podocytes are highly specialized cells of the kidney glomerulus that wrap around capillaries and that neighbor cells of the Bowman’s capsule. The genetic or acquired impairment of podocytes may lead to foot process effacement (podocyte fusion or retraction), a morphological hallmark of proteinuric renal diseases.
What is nephron podocyte?
Podocytes are cells in the Bowman’s capsule in the kidneys that wrap around capillaries of the glomerulus. Podocytes make up the epithelial lining of Bowman’s capsule, the third layer through which filtration of blood takes place.
What is podocyte function?
Podocytes play an important role in glomerular function. Together with endothelial cells of the glomerular capillary loop and the glomerular basement membrane they form a filtration barrier. Podocytes cooperate with mesangial cells to support the structure and function of the glomerulus.
What is the role of filtration slits?
The spaces between the pedicels on the glomerular basement membrane through which water, glucose, amino acids, and other chemicals pass as they become renal filtrate.
What type of cells are podocytes?
Podocytes, which are the visceral epithelial cells, comprise the main filtration barrier in the glomerulus. These cells express vitamin D receptor [75] and both in vitro and in vivo studies demonstrate that vitamin D protects the podocytes from injury.
What is podocyte effacement?
Podocyte foot process effacement is an invariable feature of proteinuric glomerular diseases such as focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), minimal change disease, immunoglobulin (Ig) A nephropathy, and diabetic nephropathy.
What is specialized cells found in podocytes?
Podocytes are highly specialized cells within the glomerulus that are essential for ultrafiltration. They form foot processes (FP) that are highly dynamic cellular extentions.