AKI and Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress – New Review Article Discusses Emerging Evidence and Future Research Opportunities
March 21, 2023
UPMC Children’s pediatric nephrologist, Aidan W. Porter, MD, is the lead author of a recent review article on the relationship between acute kidney injury and endoplasmic reticulum stress.
The article, "Emerging links between endoplasmic reticulum stress responses and acute kidney injury," published in the American Journal of Physiology - Cell Physiology, discusses the emerging understanding of the relationship between endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress responses and acute kidney injury (AKI).
Dr. Porter’s collaborators on the review are Jeffrey L. Brodsky, PhD, professor and the Avinoff Chair of Biological Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh, and Teresa M. Buck, PhD, research associate professor also in the Department of Biological Sciences.
Drs. Porter, Brodsky, and Buck describe how the ER is a critical organelle for protein folding, lipid metabolism, and calcium signaling, and how perturbations in these processes can lead to ER stress. They discuss how ER stress responses can activate signaling pathways that are known to play a role in the pathophysiology of AKI, including the unfolded protein response, the ER-associated degradation pathway, and the autophagy-lysosome pathway.
The paper also discusses recent studies that have implicated ER stress in the development of AKI in various animal models and in human patients. These studies suggest that ER stress may contribute to AKI through several mechanisms, including inflammatory responses, oxidative stress, and cellular death. Dr. Porter and colleagues also discuss potential therapeutic strategies targeting ER stress responses that may in time help to prevent or mitigate AKI.
Reference
Porter AW, Brodsky JL, Buck TM. Emerging Links Between Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Responses and Acute Kidney Injury. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol. 2022; 323: C1697-C1703.
More About Dr. Porter
Dr. Porter’s clinical emphasis and research are closely aligned, focusing on acute kidney injury (AKI) and various electrolyte disorders.
Dr. Porter has identified novel roles for proteins that regulate the unfolded protein response in the pathogenesis and treatment of AKI. His research is conducted in the Brodsky Laboratory and the Center for Protein Conformational Diseases, led by Jeffrey L. Brodsky, PhD, the Avinoff Chair in Biological Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh.
Specifically, Dr. Porter’s research involves the study of glucose-regulated protein 170 (GRP-170), a molecular chaperone that functions to regulate protein folding in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Dr. Porter is examining GRP-170’s role in the cells of nephrons.
