The best biomarkers turn out to be important in pathogenesis and some become therapeutic targets—a paradigm illustrated beautifully by the herceptin receptor in breast cancer [1]. A paper in the May issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation raises the exciting possibility that the renal biomarker, kidney injury molecule-1 (Kim-1), may become an equally important example [2]. Kim-1 (also kn...

Kidney injury molecule-1 (Kim-1) has been qualified by the Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency as a highly sensitive and specific urinary biomarker to monitor drug-induced kidney injury in preclinical studies and on a case-by-case basis in clinical trials. Here we report the development and evaluation of a rapid direct immunochromatographic lateral flow 15-min assay for d...

Kim-1, a recently discovered membrane protein, is undetectable in normal kidneys but markedly induced in proximal tubules after ischemic and toxic injury. The function of Kim-1 is unclear, but it is implicated in damage/repair processes. The Kim-1 ectodomain is cleaved by metalloproteinases and detectable in urine. We studied Kim-1 in a nontoxic, nonischemic, model of tubulointerstitial damage ...

The upregulation of kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) has been extensively studied in various renal diseases and following acute injury; however, the initial mechanisms controlling KIM-1 expression remain limited. In this study, KIM-1 expression was examined in mouse renal cell cultures and in two different models of acute kidney injury (AKI), ischemia reperfusion (IR)-induced and lipopolysaccha...

Kidney injury molecule-1/T cell IgG and mucin containing 1 (KIM-1/TIM-1) is a type 1 membrane receptor [1] which we identified as the most upregulated proximal tubular cell (PTC) protein following a variety of kidney injuries in animal models and human diseases [1] (Figure 1A). While KIM-1 (also known as hepatitis A virus cellular receptor-1 (HAVCR-1)) quickly was recognized as a promising biom...

Kim-1/Tim-1 is an apoptotic-cell phagocytosis and scavenger receptor that is most highly upregulated in proximal tubular epithelium in acute and chronic kidney injury. While Kim-1/Tim-1 has been proposed to be a costimulatory molecule for immune cells, its potential immunological role has been controversial. In the presence of very high epithelial cell expression, understanding the influence of...

Tubulointerstitial injury plays an important role in the development and progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Kidney injury molecule (KIM)-1 is induced in damaged proximal tubules in both acute renal injury and CKD. However, the dynamics of KIM-1 in CKD and effects of KIM-1 expression on disease progression are unknown. Here, we aimed to determine the associations between tubular KIM-1 ...