Progenitor hierarchy among parietal epithelial cells depicted at the single-cell level

The role of parietal epithelial cells (PECs) in kidney function and disease was recently revisited. Building on previous studies of human kidney tissue, in the current issue, Liu et al. further characterize PECs using single-cell RNA sequencing data and confirm the crucial pathophysiological role of PECs in murine kidney biology as a reservoir for different types of progenitors. The role of parietal epithelial cells (PECs) in kidney function and disease was recently revisited. Building on previous studies of human kidney tissue, in the current issue, Liu et al. further characterize PECs using single-cell RNA sequencing data and confirm the crucial pathophysiological role of PECs in murine kidney biology as a reservoir for different types of progenitors. Single cell landscape of parietal epithelial cells in healthy and diseased statesKidney InternationalVol. 104Issue 1PreviewThe biology and diversity of glomerular parietal epithelial cells (PECs) are important for understanding podocyte regeneration and crescent formation. Although protein markers have revealed the morphological heterogeneity of PECs, the molecular characteristics of PEC subpopulations remain largely unknown. Here, we performed a comprehensive analysis of PECs using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data. Our analysis identified five distinct PEC subpopulations: PEC-A1, PEC-A2, PEC-A3, PEC-A4 and PEC-B. Full-Text PDF Open Access