Nck Links Nephrin to Actin in Kidney Podocytes

Two papers, one in Nature ( Jones et al., 2006) and the other in the Journal of Clinical Investigation ( Verma et al., 2006) show that Nck adaptor proteins connect phosphorylated nephrin with actin polymerization in podocyte foot processes, structures important for slit-diaphragm formation in the kidney. Their results further our understanding of podocyte development and repair in glomerular disease.