AUTHOR=Nugent Melinda M. , Lee Kyung , He John Cijiang 

TITLE=HIPK2 is a new drug target for anti-fibrosis therapy in kidney disease

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Physiology

VOLUME=6

YEAR=2015

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2015.00132

DOI=10.3389/fphys.2015.00132

ISSN=1664-042X

ABSTRACT=<p><italic>In vitro</italic> and animal studies continue to elucidate the mechanisms of fibrosis and have led to advancements in treatment for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and cirrhosis, but the search for treatments for renal fibrosis has been more disappointing. Here, we will discuss homeodomain-interacting-protein kinase 2 (HIPK2), a novel regulator of fibrosis that acts upstream of major fibrosis signaling pathways. Its key role in renal fibrosis has been validated <italic>in vitro</italic> and in several murine models of chronic kidney diseases (CKD).</p>