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REVIEW article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. Alloimmunity and Transplantation
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1520777
The Immune Duality of Osteopontin and Its Therapeutic Implications for Kidney Transplantation
Provisionally acceptedOsteopontin (OPN) is a multifunctional glycoprotein with various structural domains that enable it to perform diverse functions in both physiological and pathological states. This review comprehensively examines OPN from multiple perspectives, including its protein structure, interactions with receptors, interactions with immune cells, and roles in kidney diseases and transplantation. This review explores the immunological duality of OPN and its significance and value as a biomarker and therapeutic target in kidney transplantation. In cancer, OPN typically promotes tumor evasion by suppressing the immune system. Conversely, in immune-related kidney diseases, particularly kidney transplantation, OPN activates the immune system by enhancing the migration and activation of immune cells, thereby exacerbating kidney damage. This immunological duality may stem from different OPN splice variants and the exposure, after cleavage, of different structural domains, which play distinct biological roles in cellular interactions. Additionally, OPN has a significant biological impact posttransplantation and on chronic kidney disease and, highlighting its importance as a biomarker and potential therapeutic target. Future research should further explore the specific mechanisms of OPN in kidney transplantation to improve treatment strategies and enhance patient quality of life.
Keywords: Osteopontin, immunology, Kidney Transplantation, SPP1, biomarker
Received: 31 Oct 2024; Accepted: 10 Feb 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 leung, Qu, Zhong and Ye. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
junto leung, Zhongnan Hospital, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
Zibiao Zhong, Zhongnan Hospital, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
Qifa Ye, Zhongnan Hospital, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
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