A polycystin-centric view of cyst formation and disease: the polycystins revisited

It is 20 years since the identification of PKD1, the major gene mutated in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), followed closely by the cloning of PKD2. These major breakthroughs have led in turn to a period of intense investigation into the function of the two proteins encoded, polycystin-1 and polycystin-2 and how defects in either protein lead to cyst formation and non-renal phenotypes. In this review, we summarise the major findings in this area and present a current model of how the polycystin proteins function in health and disease.