{"entity": "researcher", "timestamp": "2026-09-23T15:33:05.828Z", "family": "Plagmann", "given": "Ingo", "initials": "I", "orcid": "0000-0003-0263-7040", "affiliations": ["Department II of Internal Medicine and Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne, University of Cologne and University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany."], "links": {"self": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/33bc2ed829db49da9dee963d535fad97.json"}, "display": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/33bc2ed829db49da9dee963d535fad97"}}, "publications": [{"entity": "publication", "iuid": "bbd214782f1749dc93d1a52a7c6ff8ed", "links": {"self": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/publication/bbd214782f1749dc93d1a52a7c6ff8ed.json"}, "display": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/publication/bbd214782f1749dc93d1a52a7c6ff8ed"}}, "title": "Advanced optical imaging reveals preferred spatial orientation of podocyte processes along the axis of glomerular capillaries.", "authors": [{"family": "Unnersj\u00f6-Jess", "given": "David", "initials": "D", "orcid": "0000-0002-4162-0973", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/32d1982020d14121b558c26285b212ca.json"}}, {"family": "Ramdedovic", "given": "Amer", "initials": "A"}, {"family": "Butt", "given": "Linus", "initials": "L"}, {"family": "Plagmann", "given": "Ingo", "initials": "I", "orcid": "0000-0003-0263-7040", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/33bc2ed829db49da9dee963d535fad97.json"}}, {"family": "H\u00f6hne", "given": "Martin", "initials": "M", "orcid": "0000-0001-8698-5389", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/6f56c4a58c2946bcb5ca08dede681fba.json"}}, {"family": "Hackl", "given": "Agnes", "initials": "A"}, {"family": "Brismar", "given": "Hjalmar", "initials": "H", "orcid": "0000-0003-0578-4003", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/04321d9fb805493db538489927a42c8f.json"}}, {"family": "Blom", "given": "Hans", "initials": "H"}, {"family": "Schermer", "given": "Bernhard", "initials": "B"}, {"family": "Benzing", "given": "Thomas", "initials": "T", "orcid": "0000-0003-0512-1066", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/f24f9d32cbb84788a18c558e48cac2a8.json"}}], "type": "journal article", "published": "2023-12-00", "journal": {"title": "Kidney Int.", "issn": "1523-1755", "volume": "104", "issue": "6", "pages": "1164-1169", "issn-l": "0085-2538"}, "abstract": "Mammalian kidneys filter enormous volumes of water and small solutes, a filtration driven by the hydrostatic pressure in glomerular capillaries, which is considerably higher than in most other tissues. Interdigitating cellular processes of podocytes form the slits for fluid filtration connected by the membrane-like slit diaphragm cell junction containing a mechanosensitive ion channel complex and allow filtration while counteracting hydrostatic pressure. Several previous publications speculated that podocyte processes may display a preferable orientation on glomerular capillaries instead of a random distribution. However, for decades, the controversy over spatially oriented filtration slits could not be resolved due to technical limitations of imaging technologies. Here, we used advanced high-resolution, three-dimensional microscopy with high data throughput to assess spatial orientation of podocyte processes and filtration slits quantitatively. Filtration-slit-generating secondary processes preferentially align along the capillaries' longitudinal axis while primary processes are preferably perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. This preferential orientation required maturation in development of the mice but was lost in mice with kidney disease due to treatment with nephrotoxic serum or with underlying heterologous mutations in the podocyte foot process protein podocin. Thus, the observation that podocytes maintain a preferred spatial orientation of their processes on glomerular capillaries goes well in line with the role of podocyte foot processes as mechanical buttresses to counteract mechanical forces resulting from pressurized capillaries. Future studies are needed to establish how podocytes establish and maintain their orientation and why orientation is lost under pathological conditions.", "doi": "10.1016/j.kint.2023.08.024", "pmid": "37774923", "labels": [], "xrefs": [{"db": "pii", "key": "S0085-2538(23)00673-7"}], "notes": [], "created": "2026-09-23T12:59:32.194Z", "modified": "2026-09-23T14:49:47.630Z"}, {"entity": "publication", "iuid": "4b3db8c0d0dc472d8c208b3ec381f251", "links": {"self": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/publication/4b3db8c0d0dc472d8c208b3ec381f251.json"}, "display": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/publication/4b3db8c0d0dc472d8c208b3ec381f251"}}, "title": "Super-Resolution Imaging of the Filtration Barrier Suggests a Role for Podocin R229Q in Genetic Predisposition to Glomerular Disease.", "authors": [{"family": "Butt", "given": "Linus", "initials": "L"}, {"family": "Unnersj\u00f6-Jess", "given": "David", "initials": "D", "orcid": "0000-0002-4162-0973", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/32d1982020d14121b558c26285b212ca.json"}}, {"family": "H\u00f6hne", "given": "Martin", "initials": "M", "orcid": "0000-0001-8698-5389", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/6f56c4a58c2946bcb5ca08dede681fba.json"}}, {"family": "Hahnfeldt", "given": "Robert", "initials": "R"}, {"family": "Reilly", "given": "Dervla", "initials": "D", "orcid": "0000-0002-9456-1364", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/5d0b98112f2c438aa42a4af98e58d712.json"}}, {"family": "Rinschen", "given": "Markus M", "initials": "MM"}, {"family": "Plagmann", "given": "Ingo", "initials": "I", "orcid": "0000-0003-0263-7040", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/33bc2ed829db49da9dee963d535fad97.json"}}, {"family": "Diefenhardt", "given": "Paul", "initials": "P"}, {"family": "Br\u00e4hler", "given": "Sebastian", "initials": "S"}, {"family": "Brinkk\u00f6tter", "given": "Paul T", "initials": "PT"}, {"family": "Brismar", "given": "Hjalmar", "initials": "H", "orcid": "0000-0003-0578-4003", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/04321d9fb805493db538489927a42c8f.json"}}, {"family": "Blom", "given": "Hans", "initials": "H"}, {"family": "Schermer", "given": "Bernhard", "initials": "B"}, {"family": "Benzing", "given": "Thomas", "initials": "T", "orcid": "0000-0003-0512-1066", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/f24f9d32cbb84788a18c558e48cac2a8.json"}}], "type": "journal article", "published": "2022-01-00", "journal": {"title": "J. Am. Soc. Nephrol.", "issn": "1533-3450", "volume": "33", "issue": "1", "pages": "138-154", "issn-l": "1046-6673"}, "abstract": "Diseases of the kidney's glomerular filtration barrier are a leading cause of end stage renal failure. Despite a growing understanding of genes involved in glomerular disorders in children, the vast majority of adult patients lack a clear genetic diagnosis. The protein podocin p.R229Q, which results from the most common missense variant in NPHS2, is enriched in cohorts of patients with FSGS. However, p.R229Q has been proposed to cause disease only when transassociated with specific additional genetic alterations, and population-based epidemiologic studies on its association with albuminuria yielded ambiguous results.\n\nTo test whether podocin p.R229Q may also predispose to the complex disease pathogenesis in adults, we introduced the exact genetic alteration in mice using CRISPR/Cas9-based genome editing (Pod ). We assessed the phenotype using super-resolution microscopy and albuminuria measurements and evaluated the stability of the mutant protein in cell culture experiments.R231Q\n\nHeterozygous Pod mice did not present any overt kidney disease or proteinuria. However, homozygous R231Q/wild-typePod mice developed increased levels of albuminuria with age, and super-resolution microscopy revealed preceding ultrastructural morphologic alterations that were recently linked to disease predisposition. When injected with nephrotoxic serum to induce glomerular injury, heterozygous R231Q/R231QPod mice showed a more severe course of disease compared with R231Q/wild-typePod mice. Podocin protein levels were decreased in wild-type/wild-typePod and R231Q/wild-typePod mice as well as in human cultured podocytes expressing the podocinR231Q/R231QR231Q variant. Our in vitro experiments indicate an underlying increased proteasomal degradation.\n\nOur findings demonstrate that podocin R231Q exerts a pathogenic effect on its own, supporting the concept of podocin R229Q contributing to genetic predisposition in adult patients.", "doi": "10.1681/ASN.2020060858", "pmid": "34853150", "labels": [], "xrefs": [{"db": "pmc", "key": "PMC8763184"}, {"db": "pii", "key": "00001751-202201000-00016"}], "notes": [], "created": "2026-09-23T12:01:19.209Z", "modified": "2026-09-23T14:51:18.858Z"}]}