PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Sybille Koehler AU - Tobias B Huber AU - Barry Denholm TI - A protective role for <em>Drosophila</em> Filamin in nephrocytes via Yorkie mediated hypertrophy AID - 10.26508/lsa.202101281 DP - 2022 Dec 01 TA - Life Science Alliance PG - e202101281 VI - 5 IP - 12 4099 - https://www.life-science-alliance.org/content/5/12/e202101281.short 4100 - https://www.life-science-alliance.org/content/5/12/e202101281.full SO - Life Sci. Alliance2022 Dec 01; 5 AB - Podocytes are specialized epithelial cells of the kidney glomerulus and are an essential part of the filtration barrier. Because of their position, they are exposed to constant biomechanical forces such as shear stress and hydrostatic pressure. These forces increase during disease, resulting in podocyte injury. It is likely podocytes have adaptative responses to help buffer against deleterious mechanical force and thus reduce injury. However, these responses remain largely unknown. Here, using the Drosophila model, we show the mechanosensor Cheerio (dFilamin) provides a key protective role in nephrocytes. We found expression of an activated mechanosensitive variant of Cheerio rescued filtration function and induced compensatory and hypertrophic growth in nephrocytes depleted of the nephrocyte diaphragm proteins Sns or Duf. Delineating the protective pathway downstream of Cheerio we found repression of the Hippo pathway induces nephrocyte hypertrophy, whereas Hippo activation reversed the Cheerio-mediated hypertrophy. Furthermore, we find Yorkie was activated upon expression of active Cheerio. Taken together, our data suggest that Cheerio acts via the Hippo pathway to induce hypertrophic growth, as a protective response in abnormal nephrocytes.