Retinoic acid improves nephrotoxic serum–induced glomerulonephritis through activation of podocyte retinoic acid receptor α

International audienceProliferation of glomerular epithelial cells, including the podocytes, is a key histologic feature of crescentic glomerulonephritis. We previously found that retinoic acid (RA) inhibits proliferation and induces differentiation of podocytes by activating RA receptor-α (RARα) in a murine model of HIV-associated nephropathy. Here, we examined whether RA would similarly protect podocyte