Conclusions: These findings indicate that complement-independent foot process effacement related to decreased expression of alpha3beta1-integrin in a very early phase of PHN is not a prerequisite for proteinuria, and the deterioration of foot process effacement related to actin reorganization after the onset of albuminuria might be a secondary response to proteinuria.
PMID: 19662603 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Journal of Nephrology)