Fig. 1
From: New insights into the immune functions of podocytes: the role of complement
Main components of the slit diaphragm and podocyte-endothelial cell cross talk in healthy versus damaged podocytes. Podocyte slit diaphragm, glomerular basement membrane (GBM), and endothelial cells are the main components of the glomerular filtration barrier. Podocyte effacement/detachment, secondary to mechanical, oxidative, and/or immunologic triggers, is characterized by loss of silt diaphragm integrity, disruption of actin cytoskeleton and focal adhesions, and interruption of the physiological podocyte-endothelial cell cross talk (dashed arrows). Abbreviations: GBM, glomerular basement membrane; Ang, angiopoietin; ANGPTL, angiopoietin-like protein; IGF, insulin-like growth factor; IGFBP-rP1, insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-related protein 1; ET-1, endothelin-1; HGF, hepatocyte growth factor; IL-1, interleukin-1; NO, nitric oxide; TNF-a, tumor necrosis factor-a; VEGF, vascular endothelial growth factor