On the cover: MicroRNAs contribute to kidney development and homeostasis. Their roles in specific cell types of the kidney continue to be elucidated. In this month’s journal authors describe how miR-218-5p regulates (A) Angiopoietin-2 (Ang2) signaling pathways in kidney-derived endothelial progenitor cells. During homeostasis Ang2 (orange) binds to the ITGA5-ITGB1-Tie2 (blue/maroon/green) transmembrane complex enhancing migration via binding of extracellular fibronectin (pale green strand). The complex also promotes proliferation via intracellular signal transduction through the p42/44 MAPK (maroon oval) signaling pathway. (B) Early during the cellular response to hypoxia (red arrow), independent of Ang2 signaling, ITGA5 protein synthesis (blue=extracellular domain, yellow=transmembrane domain) is modulated by the upregulation of miR-218-5p which binds to ITGA5 mRNA transcript. This results in a reduced concentration of transmembrane complexes that would otherwise facilitate cell migration and cell growth during normoxia.

Reference: Liu J, Li Y, Lyu L, Xiao L, Memon AA, Yu X, et al.: Integrin α5 Is Regulated by miR-218-5p in Endothelial Progenitor Cells. J Am Soc Nephrol 33: 565–582, 2022.

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