Proteomic analysis of renal diseases: unraveling the pathophysiology and biomarker discovery

Current biomedical applications of proteomics have been conducted with four main objectives: to better understand the normal biology and physiology of cells, microorganisms, tissues and organs; to explore the pathogenic mechanisms and better understand the pathophysiology of medical diseases; to identity novel biomarkers for early disease detection, prediction and prognosis; and to define new therapeutic targets, drugs and vaccines. This review focuses predominantly on proteomic applications to unravel the pathophysiology and to define novel biomarkers for various renal diseases (i.e., glomerular diseases, tubulointerstitial diseases, renal vascular disorders and renal cancers). In addition, proteomic evaluations of renal transplantation and renal replacement therapy (for acute renal failure and end-stage renal disease) are summarized. Personal opinion, future perspectives and information resources for the field of renal and urinary proteomics are provided.