The signaling pathway of uromodulin and its role in kidney diseases.

The uromodulin (UMOD) is a glycoprotein expressed exclusively by renal tubular cells lining the thick ascending limb of the loop of Henle. UMOD acts as a regulatory protein in health and in various conditions. For kidney diseases, its role remains elusive. On one hand, UMOD plays a role in binding and excretion of various potentially injurious products from the tubular fluid. On the other hand, chronic kidney disease is associated with higher serum levels of UMOD. Signaling pathways might be very important in the pathogenesis of kidney diseases. We performed this review to provide a relatively complete signaling pathway flowchart for UMOD to the investigators who were interested in the role of UMOD in the pathogenesis of kidney diseases. Here, we reviewed the signal transduction pathway of UMOD and its role in the pathogenesis of kidney diseases.