Kidneys control inter-organ homeostasis

Cockayne syndrome is a genetic disease characterized by impairment of DNA repair mechanisms, premature ageing, cachexia and kidney dysfunction. New research in a mouse model of Cockayne syndrome demonstrates that injury induces a subset of kidney proximal tubule cells to express the anorexigenic peptide GDF15. These findings link kidney injury to cachexia and highlight the role of the kidney in mediating inter-organ homeostasis.

Automated summary

Cockayne syndrome is a genetic disease characterized by impaired DNA repair mechanisms, premature aging, cachexia, and kidney dysfunction. A new study in a mouse model of Cockayne syndrome reveals that injury triggers the expression of anorexigenic peptide GDF15 in a subset of kidney proximal tubule cells, linking kidney injury to cachexia and emphasizing the kidney's role in mediating inter-organ homeostasis.