Peritubular capillaries: an important piece of the puzzle.

The thorough investigation of peritubular capillary changes during renal fibrosis presented in this issue provides novel insights, not only into the value of elaborate methodological approaches, but also the necessity to carefully dissect pathophysiology using current techniques. This study strengthens the existing view of a uniform progression of renal fibrosis and is consistent with other recent studies pointing toward the relevance of early alterations of peritubular capillaries as initiators of renal fibrosis.