The visceral glomerular epithelial cell, also called podocyte, is a terminally differentiated cell
that lines the outer aspect of the glomerular basement membrane (GBM). It therefore forms
the final barrier to protein loss, which explains why podocyte injury is typically associated
with marked proteinuria. Indeed, all forms of nephrotic syndrome are characterized by
abnormalities in the podocyte. In this review, we will provide an update of the known
functions of recent podocyte-specific proteins and focus on the slit diaphragm (SD) and the …