ULK1 as a therapeutic target in kidney diseases: Current perspective.

Introduction: Globally, ~850 million people are affected by different kidney diseases. The pathogenesis of kidney diseases is intricate, where autophagy is crucial for maintaining kidney homeostasis. Iteliminates damaged organelles, thus reducing renal lesions and allowing tissue regeneration. Therefore, targeting various autophagy proteins, e.g. Unc-51-like autophagy-activating kinase 1 (ULK1), is emerging as potential therapeutic strategy against kidney disease.

Areas covered: This review provides insights into the role of ULK1 as a therapeutic target in kidney diseases. Additionally, we have discussed the recent evidence based on pre-clinical studies for possible novel therapies modulating ULK1-mediated autophagy in kidney diseases.

Expert opinion: ULK1 is one of the critical regulators of autophagy. Moreover, ULK1 works differently for different types of kidney disease. Considering its significant role in kidney disease pathogenesis, it could be a potential target to tackle kidney diseases. However, the dynamic molecular understanding of ULK1 in the context of various kidney diseases is still in its infancy and should be investigated further.