The podocyte—a neglected player in glomerular injury? Nephrol Dial Transplant

In the past, podocytes were regarded as passive bystanders in the glomerular filtration process. Recent work increasingly reveals that podocytes are active and dynamic cells which appear to play a central role in glomerular disease, including glomerulosclerosis, which has been underappreciated so far. Physiological functions of podocytes Glomerular visceral epithelial cells (podocytes) are highly differentiated and specialized cells which form an important component of the glomerular filtration barrier. Their surface membrane is divided by slit diaphragms, which have been considered to be an equivalent of the tight junction of epithelial cells, into a 'luminal ' membrane facing the urinary space and a 'basal cell ' membrane attaching the GBM. The lumina