Gli1+ Pericyte Loss Induces Capillary Rarefaction and Proximal Tubular Injury

Peritubular capillary rarefaction is hypothesized to contribute to the increased risk of future CKD after AKI. Here, we directly tested the role of Gli1 + kidney pericytes in the maintenance of peritubular capillary health, and the consequences of pericyte loss during injury. Using bigenic Gli1-CreER t2 ; R26tdTomato reporter mice, we observed increased distance between Gli1 + pericytes and endothelial cells after AKI (mean±SEM: 3.3±0.1 µ m before injury versus 12.5±0.2 µ m after injury; P P µ m 2 in control versus 24.1±0.6 µ m 2 at 10 days; P µ m 2 at 56 days; P