In glomerular disease, podocyte injury results in a dramatic change in cell morphology
known as foot process effacement. Remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton through the activity
of small GTPases was identified as a key mechanism in effacement, with increased
membrane activity and motility in vitro. However, whether podocytes are stationary or
actively moving cells in vivo remains debated. Using intravital and kidney slice two–photon
imaging of the three-dimensional structure of mouse podocytes, we found that uninjured …