Laminin α2-mediated focal adhesion kinase activation triggers Alport glomerular pathogenesis.
It has been known for some time that laminins containing α1 and α2 chains, which are normally restricted to the mesangial matrix, accumulate in the glomerular basement membranes (GBM) of Alport mice, dogs, and humans.We show that laminins containing the α2 chain, but not those containing the α1 chain activates focal adhesion kinase (FAK) on glo