Building the glomerulus: a matricentric view.

T he structural integrity of the glomerular capillaries stems from the stereotyped arrangement of the three constituent cell types: Podocytes (also called visceral epithelial cells), endothelial cells, and mesangial cells. The arrangement of these cells depends in part on their interactions with extracellular matrix, most notably the glomerular basement membrane (GBM). In this essay, I discuss the role of the GBM in glomerulogenesis and in kidney function and disease and provide a historical perspective regarding how our current state of knowledge was achieved.