Single-cell mRNA sequencing further confirmed that Bdnf levels were lower in renal proximal tubule (PT) cells, macrophages (Mφ), and podocytes in UUO mice compared to normal controls, Additionally, Bdnf-as—a long non-coding RNA known to epigenetically repress BDNF—was significantly upregulated in proximal tubules of CKD patients based on human transcriptomic data. Here, BDNF is linked to chronic kidney disease.