The insect nephrocyte is a podocyte-like cell with a filtration slit diaphragm

Helen Weavers, Silvia Prieto-Sánchez, Ferdinand Grawe, Amparo Garcia-López, Ruben Artero, Michaela Wilsch-Bräuninger, Mar Ruiz-Gómez, Helen Skaer () and Barry Denholm
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Helen Weavers: University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
Silvia Prieto-Sánchez: Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, CSIC, UAM, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain
Ferdinand Grawe: Institut für Genetik, Heinrich-Heine-Universität, Düsseldorf D-40225, Germany
Amparo Garcia-López: University of Valencia, Burjasot, Valencia 46100, Spain
Ruben Artero: University of Valencia, Burjasot, Valencia 46100, Spain
Michaela Wilsch-Bräuninger: Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics
Mar Ruiz-Gómez: Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, CSIC, UAM, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain
Helen Skaer: University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
Barry Denholm: University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK

Nature, 2009, vol. 457, issue 7227, 322-326

Abstract: Kidney origins in insects The blood-filtering barrier in the glomerulus of the vertebrate kidney, where blood is ultrafiltered to form urine, is made up of modified epithelial cells called podocytes. The nephron — consisting of the glomerulus and renal tubule — is considered a characteristic adaptive feature of vertebrates. But 'nephron-like' features are found in the excretory systems of many invertebrates. Now Weavers et al. report that an insect filtration cell known as the nephrocyte shares striking similarity with the podocyte. Fly orthologues of the major constituents of the slit diaphragm of the kidney form a complex of interacting proteins resembling that found in vertebrates. The nephrocyte diaphragm is completely lost in flies mutant for nephrin or NEPH1 orthologues, similar to the phenotype of the human kidney disease congenital nephrotic syndrome (NPHS1). This establishes the insect nephrocyte as a model for the study of kidney podocyte biology and podocyte-associated diseases.

Date: 2009
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DOI: 10.1038/nature07526

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