Nephrons are the basic functional and structural units of the kidney. Thousands of these microscopic tubules work together as a filter for the blood, scrubbing it free of toxins. During periods of relative calm, cell proliferation is very low. But after acute injury, resulting from blood loss, for example, cells lining the inside of the nephron rapidly begin to re-grow. While invaluable as a framework for understanding kidney disease and developing new strategies for its treatment, the mechanism for kidney cell proliferation is still poorly understood. In other cellular regeneration mechanisms, a “slow-cycling” sub-population is waiting at the ready to clean up shop after injury. But recent collaborative work from HSCI Principal Faculty Members Benjamin Humphreys, MD, PhD, and Joseph Bonventre, MD, PhD, indicates that in the case of kidney cell regeneration, it is the damaged cells that do the majority of the work. Knowing how the kidney keeps itself healthy could have major implications for the growing populations of kidney disease patients worldwide.

Humphreys, B.; Czerniak, S.; DiRocco, D.; Hasnain, W.; Cheema, R.; Bonventre, J. (2011) Repair of Injured Proximal Tubule Does Not Involve Specialized Progenitors. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 22, 9226-31