A study team, led by Li Xiaoning at Wuhan University Zhongnan Hospital, found that the raised expression of C-delta in proteinuria makes a killer that induces renal tubular cell apoptosis, which means prohibiting the expression of C-delta in animals' kidney will be able to fence off the injury to renal tubular cells. The finding was published in the July 1, 2010 issue of Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

Researchers found that proteinuria is able to induce renal tubular cell apoptosis both in vivo and in-vitro, and sorted out the incidences showing the early and advanced renal tubular cell apoptosis, which confirmed the direct toxicity of albumin on renal tubular cells at the cellular, sub-cellular, DNA, and protein levels. Researchers also found that the raised expression of C-delta in proteinuria would promote albumin to induce renal tubular cell apoptosis, suggesting that C-delta is a killer by inducing renal tubular cell apoptosis. LI and her team also worked out a successful approach to inhibit the proteinuria-induced renal tubular injury using chemicals and gene transfection. It is believed that the finding creates a new drug target for treating kidney diseases.