Authors: Mazzei L, Manucha W
Abstract
The study of kidney development at the cellular and molecular levels remains an active area of nephrology research. The functional integrity of the kidney depends on normal development as well as on physiological cell turnover. Apoptosis induction is essential for these mechanisms. A route to cell death revealed in the past decade shows that heat shock proteins (HSPs) and their cofactors are responsible for regulating the apoptotic pathway. Specifically, heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70), the most ubiquitous and highly conserved HSP, helps proteins adopt native conformation or regain function after misfolding. Hsp70 is an important cofactor for the function of Wilms' tumour 1 (WT1) and suggests a potential role for this chaperone during kidney diff...