Objective Podocytes are injured in many forms of human and experimental glomerular disease such as focal segmental glomelurosclerosis, diabetic nephropathy, and crescentic glomerulonephritis. The singularity of the actin cytoskeleton in podocytes and its critical role for podocyte function is well known.Indeed, podocytes express unique actin-associated proteins such as synaptopodin, mutation or absence of alfa-actinin-4 result in glomerulosclerosis due to podocyte loss by unknown reasons, and several stimuli like polycations and mechanical stress are known to induce rapid and profound reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton in podocytes.Since it was shown that palladin is expressed and localized to various actin structures in podocytes, that palladin induces and is required for stress fiber formation, and that palladin is known to interact with several proteins expressed in podocytes (alfa-actinin, VASP and ezrin), it seems that palladin plays an important role for the organization of the actin cytoskeleton in podocytes.Elucidation of the role of palladin and its binding partners in podocytes as well as elucidation of its implication in renal disease will provide new insights into glomerular diseases and new perspectives in therapeutics. Fields of science medical and health sciencesclinical medicineendocrinologydiabetesdiabetic nephropathymedical and health sciencesclinical medicinenephrologykidney diseases Programme(s) FP6-MOBILITY - Human resources and Mobility in the specific programme for research, technological development and demonstration "Structuring the European Research Area" under the Sixth Framework Programme 2002-2006 Topic(s) MOBILITY-2.1 - Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowships (EIF) Call for proposal FP6-2004-MOBILITY-5 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme EIF - Marie Curie actions-Intra-European Fellowships Coordinator ERNST MORITZ ARNDT UNIVERSITY GREIFSWALD Address Fleischmannstr. 8 Greifswald Germany See on map Links Website Opens in new window EU contribution € 0,00