Racking-up Calcium

Chronic kidney disease is a long-term condition that can be caused by high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol. A type of stem cell called Gli1 normally heal damaged blood vessels by turning into new muscle cells, which work to help arteries contract. But recent research in a mouse model of chronic kidney disease, suggests that Gli1 cells (shown in red in the vessel lining) clogs up blood vessels by depositing calcium. The Gli cells responded to inflammatory signals in the blood by turning into osteoblasts – responsible for depositing calcium. When the researchers removed Gli cells from the mice, the build-up of calcium in the arteries was hindered. By looking at the arteries of patients who had kidney failure, the team found that calcification occurred in the same places seen in the mouse model, supporting their theory and findings. Gli cells could therefore be a new therapeutic target to focus on.

Written by Katie Panteli

Katie Panteli

Writer

Katie, a Warwick Biomed graduate, works for a science-publishing house in London with some of the world's most respected scientific minds. She's most interested in human biology, anything and everything that makes us tick.

• Image courtesy of the Humphreys lab
• Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, MO, USA
• Image copyright held by original authors
• Research published in Cell Stem Cell, November 2016