Mobilising defending mechanisms in prevention & treatment of kidney diseases
The activated form of vitamin A, known as retinoic acid (RA), is indispensable for kidney development. Dr Xu's research in the past 20 years has shown that RA also has great pharmacological properties. In addition, the kidney is characterised by abundant RA content and has physiological activation of RA receptors (RARs) confined to the renal collecting duct (CD). We have catalogued all RA/RAR-dependent mRNAs and microRNAs in CD cells, many of which are implicated in the defence against infection, inflammation, cystogenesis and fibrosis. We hypothesise that the RA/RAR signalling in the CD is a critical protection against tubulointerstitial injury. With this novel hypothesis in the heart of our research, our laboratory aims to understand the nephroprotective roles for the CD, the endogenous RA/RAR and its target genes in health and disease of the kidney and to develop novel preventive and therapeutic strategies by mobilising endogenous renal defending mechanisms.
The renal collecting duct rises to the defence