NhKM:  Normal Human Kidney Mesangial Cells

Found within the glomerulus and are derived from the cortex of the kidney during the isolation process. These cells “fill the gap” between adjacent capillary loops surrounded by the glomerular basement membrane (GBM) and the podocytes. The primary function of NhKM is to remove trapped residues and aggregated protein from the basement membrane.  In addition, they aid filtration by constituting part of the glomerular capillary tuft structure that filters fluids to produce urine.

The NhKM cells are obtained after cortex digestion, and single glomerular isolation. Glomeruli are further digested and then NhKM cells are isolated by PDGF-R beta positive selection as a pure population, then cryopreserved.

Purity is analyzed using immunofluorescence microscopy for PDGFRβ, vimentin, and α smooth muscle actin. Cells are terminally differentiated and can be expanded for at least 15 population doublings. Mesangial cells have an intermediate phenotype, sharing features of fibroblasts and smooth muscle cells.

When grown in one of the common media formulations for eukaryotic cells (e.g. MEM, DMEM, Waymouth, RPMI 1640), these cells retain their in vivo phenotype as stellate, arborized elements in monolayer culture. Homogeneous cultures of Mesangial cells resemble smooth muscle cells or fibroblasts. On average, 15–20 passages in culture can been obtained from NhKM cells.

The NhKM cells are terminally differentiated.

Cells per vial: 500,000