Role of lysophosphatidic acid and its receptors in the kidney

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is a bioactive phospholipid that can exert diverse biological effects in various diseased states of the kidney by activating at least six cognate G protein-coupled receptors and its complex network of heterotrimeric G proteins. In many models of acute and chronic kidney injury, pathological elevations in LPA promotes abnormal changes in renal tubular epithelial cell architecture by activating apoptotic signaling, recruits immune cells to the site of injury, and stimulates profibrotic signaling by increasing gene transcription. In renal cancers, LPA can promote vascular cell proliferation and tumor cell invasion. In this review, a summary will be provided to describe the involvement of LPA, its synthetic enzymes, and its associated receptors in normal and diseased kidneys. Further elucidation of the LPA system may open new doors in developing a lipid-receptor therapeutic platform for kidney diseases.