Mammalian target of rapamycin regulates Nox4-mediated podocyte depletion in diabetic renal injury.

Podocyte apoptosis is a critical mechanism for excessive loss of urinary albumin that eventuates in kidney fibrosis. Pharmacological doses of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor rapamycin reduce albuminuria in diabetes. We explored the hypothesis that mTOR mediates podocyte injury in diabetes.