Advances in the correlation of uromodulin and UMOD gene with chronic kidney disease

Abstract

Uromodulin, also known as Tamm-Horsfal protein, is the most abundant protein in normal urine. It is exclusively secreted by renal tubular epithelial cells in thick ascending limb (TAL) of the Henle loop. Past studies showed that uromodu in had various biological functions, including regulating water and salt metabolism, immunomodulation, protection against renal calculus and urinary tract infection. UMOD is the gene encoding uromodulin. Recently, with the development of genome-wide association study (GWAS), it is found that the UMOD gene is significantly associated with the progression and prognosis of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Further studies using Mendelian randomization methods verified the causality between uromodulin and CKD.

Keywords

• uromodulin|umod|chronic kidney disease|mendelian randomization