Dexamethasone increases the phosphorylation of nephrin in cultured podocytes

Background We reported that nephrin is phosphorylated at Y1204 and Y1228 under normal conditions and that the phosphorylation is decreased in puromycin nephrosis and in human minimal change nephrosis. These results indicate that the phosphorylation of nephrin is important for maintaining normal podocyte function. However, little is known about the regulation of nephrin phosphorylation. Here, we investigated whether glucocorticoid, a drug used to treat glomerular diseases with proteinuria, might affect the phosphorylation of nephrin.