This hypothesis might explain the observation of BASP1-positive and -negative tubules in human diabetic nephropathy and experimental diabetic and hypertensive nephropathies.19 Tubules belonging to a nephron where podocyte injury has resulted in glomeruloesclerosis and more severe albuminuria would be expected to express more BASP1 than tubules from nephrons with more preserved functional podocytes. Here, BASP1 is linked to diabetic kidney disease.