Rodríguez-Ayala et al. reported that increased CEC expressing MHC class-I-related chain A (MICA) and decreased endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) expressing Tie-2 or VEGFR-2 were found in a group of CKD patients with advanced renal impairment, which suggested a marked imbalance between CEC and EPC (a surrogate marker for vascular repair) in these patients [78]. Here, MICA is linked to chronic kidney disease.