FOR 406:  Chronic Renal Failure Mechanisms of Progression

• Subject Area: Biology
• Term: from 2001 to 2006
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 5467497

The progressive loss of renal function in chronic renal disease is underlain by the progressive loss of viable nephrons. Thus, the crucial question is: How and by which mechanisms do nephrons undergo degeneration? To assess this, there are several hypotheses; the present research unit pursues the so called podocyte hypotheses: since podocytes in the adult have lost their capability of regenerative cell replication, a lost podocyte can not be replaced by multiplication of the remaining podocytes. Thus, as soon as a minimal number of podocytes per glomerulus is reached, the nephron is in danger of degeneration. This explains why glomerular diseases that primarily do not effect the podocytes in later stages follow the podocyte pathway to degeneration. Finally it is failure of this cell type that accounts for the loss of a nephron.Surrounding this central topic, individual projects address questions of cell- and molecular biology of podocytes, of genetic misdevelopments of podocytes, and deal with the pathology of podocytes and associated structures in cases of chronic renal failure of the native kidney or the transplant.

• DFG Programme: Research Units

Projects

• chronic kidney failure: mechanismus of progression (Applicant Kriz, Wilhelm )
• Chronische Allograft Nephropathie: Interaktion des Redox-Systems mit nukleären Retinoid (RAR/RXR)-und Leber X(LXR)-Rezeptoren (Applicant Gröne, Hermann-Josef )
• Die Bedeutung des Zinkfingerproteins LMX1B für podozytäre Erkrankungen. (Applicant Witzgall, Ralph )
• Die Bedeutung von FAT1 für die Ausbildung der Fußfortsätze und Schlitzmembran in Podozyten (Applicant Möller, Marcus )
• Dynamik und Umorganisation des Aktin-Zytoskeletts in Podozyten: Rolle von CD2AP, Actinin-4 und Podocin (Applicant Endlich, Karlhans )
• Entwicklung und Charakterisierung eines Nphs2-R183Q-knock-in Mausmodells für das steroid-resistente nephrotische Syndrom (Applicant Weber, Stefanie )
• Impact of AT1 / AT2 receptors on podocyte function (Applicant Hoffmann, Ph.D., Sigrid )
• In vivo Charakterisierung verschiedener Spleißvarianten des Wilms Tumorsuppressorgens WT1 (Applicant Englert, Christoph )
• Pathways to nephron degeneration starting from glomerular diseases (Applicant Kriz, Wilhelm )
• Wirkmechanismen der Vorbehandlung mit Dopamin im hirntoten und nicht-hirntoten Organspender (Applicant van der Woude, Fokko Johannes )

• Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Wilhelm Kriz