Sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) is a pleiotropic mediator involved in a variety of cellular functions. It is a product of cell membrane sphingolipid catabolism as it is generated from sphingosine intracellularly by sphingosine kinases 1 and 2 (SphK1 and SphK2), and it is exported from cells by spinster homolog 2 (Spns2) or major facilitator superfamily 2b (Mfsd2b).
C3 glomerulopathy (C3G) is a group of rare kidney diseases characterized by complement dysregulation and predominant C3 deposition in the kidney tissue.
Researchers from Kira Pharmaceuticals LLC and University of Pennsylvania have developed a novel mouse model of rapidly progressing lethal C3 glomerulopathy (C3G), with the aim of assessing whether inhibition of proximal alternative pathway (AP) complement components such as factor D (FD) may be more efficacious than C5 inhibition for the treatment of C3G.