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A lack of federal access to health-care resources for undocumented immigrants in the USA has led to variability in access to health care — including dialysis — across states. Transforming dialysis care for these individuals is justified both on humanitarian and economic grounds, but requires a roadmap for advocacy and stakeholder engagement.
Human ageing trajectories are highly individual and dependent on genetic and non-genetic factors. An analysis of the interconnectivity of distinct age-related chronic diseases shows that organ-specific chronic diseases accelerate the ageing of other organ systems, which has important implications for mortality. Notably, chronic kidney disease was identified a highly important risk factor for the ageing of other organ systems.
Here, the authors describe regulatory T (Treg) cell development and function and discuss how molecular anomalies or genetic variations in Treg cells contribute to autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. They also discuss how Treg cells can be exploited to treat kidney diseases and to induce immune tolerance, particularly in kidney transplantation.
This Review examines insights from genetic studies of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), including observations from reports of monogenic SLE, as well as the role of common and rare variants. The authors also discuss age-associated B cells, as the integration of genetic, epigenetic and transcriptomic data suggests a key role for these cells in SLE.
Circulating non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are derived from specific cell types and can be directly transferred to a variety of cells to affect their function. This Review describes the relevance of circulating ncRNAs to the development of kidney disease and discusses the potential use of circulating ncRNAs as diagnostic factors and therapeutic targets.
Meoli and Günzel elucidate the role of claudins (a family of tight junction proteins) in maintaining electrolyte and water homeostasis. With this Review, the authors aim to stimulate investigations on claudins as prognostic markers or as druggable targets in kidney disease.
Aquaporins have diverse roles in various homeostatic and physiological systems beyond their role in renal water handling. This Review describes the role of mammalian aquaporins in the transport of solutes other than water and their involvement in processes such as metabolism, cellular migration, cell adhesion, cell polarity and cell signalling.
