Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of CKD, just like renal tissue gene expression profiling studies, only capture one layer of the underlying pathophysiology of CKD. Integrating the knowledge of both, genetic and transcriptomic associations with renal function impairment can identify key drivers for CKD. Using this approach, CKD-associated molecular pathways are identified and displayed here as individual hubs or nodes. CKD-pathways are connected with each other via lines that represent co-regulated transcripts of CKD candidate genes identified by GWAS. Nodes have been colored according to six main classes of pathways derived from the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes, highlighting in a global view the key drivers of CKD. Matthias Kretzler, University of Michigan Medical Center