Calcium Signaling Mediates Cell Death and Crosstalk with Autophagy in Kidney Disease.

The kidney is an important organ for the maintenance of Ca homeostasis in the body. However, disruption of Ca homeostasis will cause a series of kidney diseases, such as acute kidney injury (AKI), chronic kidney disease (CKD), renal ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury, autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), podocytopathy, and diabetic nephropathy. During the progression of kidney disease, Ca signaling plays key roles in various cell activities such as necrosis, apoptosis, eryptosis and autophagy. Importantly, there are complex Ca flux networks between the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), mitochondria and lysosomes which regulate intracellular Ca signaling in renal cells and contribute to kidney disease. In addition, Ca signaling also links the crosstalk between various cell deaths and autophagy under the stress of heavy metals or high glucose. In this regard, we present a review of Ca signaling in cell death and crosstalk with autophagy and its potential as a therapeutic target for the development of new and efficient drugs against kidney diseases.