podocyte

The lamina rara externa is adjacent to the podocyte processes.

"Pedicels" (or "foot processes") extend from the podocyte and increase the surface area which is crucial for the efficiency of ultrafiltration.

This function is further supported by knockout studies in mice which reveal an essential role in podocyte morphogenesis.

CD2AP regulates the podocyte cytoskeleton and stabilizes the slit diaphragm.

The GBM is a fusion of the endothelial cell and podocyte basal laminas.

The space between adjacent podocyte foot processes is spanned by a slit diaphragm formed by several proteins including podocin and nephrin.

However, mutations in podocyte proteins, such as nephrin, alpha-actinin 4, and podocin, are associated with proteinuria and nephrotic syndrome.

Immune complexes (antigen-antibody complexes formed during an infection) become lodged in the glomerular basement membrane below the podocyte foot processes.

These are diffuse loss of visceral epithelial cells (podocyte) foot processes, vacuolation, and growth of microvilli on the visceral epithelial cells.

Secondary to renal expression of the HIV-1 NL4-3 Δ gag-pol proviral transgene, adolescent Tg26 transgenics develop a progressive, proliferative renal disease marked by podocyte and tubular epithelial hyperplasia that is indistinguishable both clinically and histopathologically from human HIVAN.

To determine if these phenotypes were marked by enhanced cyclin D 1 and phospho-pRb (Ser780) expression, we utilized the podocyte cell-culture protocol developed by Rieser et al. [ 27 28 ] to study both sub-confluent podocyte growth and podocyte growth during the formation of mature cell-cell contacts at confluence.