Plasticity of renal erythropoietin-producing cells governs fibrosis

T Souma, S Yamazaki, T Moriguchi… - Journal of the …, 2013 - journals.lww.com
CKD progresses with fibrosis and erythropoietin (Epo)-dependent anemia, leading to
increased cardiovascular complications, but the mechanisms linking Epo-dependent
anemia and fibrosis remain unclear. Here, we show that the cellular phenotype of renal Epo-
producing cells (REPs) alternates between a physiologic Epo-producing state and a
pathologic fibrogenic state in response to microenvironmental signals. In a novel mouse
model, unilateral ureteral obstruction–induced inflammatory milieu activated NFκB and …