A GAP in our knowledge of vascular signaling in acute kidney injury

Injury resulting from ischemia-reperfusion injury is a multifactorial process involving compromised function in both the tubular and the vascular compartments. Multiple vasoactive compounds have been implicated in the profound vasoconstriction that occurs in response to ischemia-reperfusion injury, and many of these factors signal through common G protein-coupled receptors. The report by Siedlecki et al. highlights the important roles of RGS4, a GTPase-accelerating protein (GAP), in the regulation of vascular tone in the setting of acute kidney injury.