Molecular Basis of Proteinuria of Glomerular Origin

Abstract

THE process of urine formation begins at the walls of the glomerular capillaries with the separation of as much as a third of the plasma entering the glomeruli of each kidney into a solution having the properties of a nearly ideal ultrafiltrate. Driven by a hydraulic force created by the pumping action of the heart, ultrafiltrate flows across these capillary walls at an enormous rate, when considered in biologic terms, exceeding by at least two orders of magnitude that across other membranes studied thus far.¹ Despite their extremely low intrinsic resistance to the flow of water, however, these same glomerular . . .