The Bock-Pozzi-Zent Kidney Cell Biology Laboratory has three distinct focus areas
Bock Group
Understanding how the actin cytoskeleton enables the complex morphologies of kidney tubular epithelial cells during regeneration.
These images demonstrate actin cytoskeletal remodeling during tubular repair of the collecting system. A) reversible ureteral obstruction to induce repair, B) F-actin cytoskeleton 3D reconstructions during repair in controls (Rac1f/f) or when the actin regulator Rac1 is deleted (AQP2:Rac1f/f), C) F-actin shape of cells undergoing cell division during repair in controls or in the absence of Rac1.
Pozzi Group
Understanding how matrix receptors regulate collagen homeostasis in kidney injury and identify new targets for anti-fibrotic therapy.
Image of a renal glomerulus from a subject with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis co-stained with anti-Fused in Sarcoma (Red) and anti-collagen IV (green) antibodies. DAPI (blue) depicts nuclei.
Zent Group
Understanding how integrin cytoplasmic tails interact with cytoplasmic proteins to regulate cell function and defining the structural determinants of specificity of integrin-dependent signaling.
These images demonstrate an ex vivo culture of a developing collecting system (ureteric bud) which develops through branching. The top row shows normal ureteric bud branching whereas the bottom row shows defective branching in the absence of the integrin-binding scaffold protein parvin.