Figure 4: A schematic diagram depicting components of the podocyte slit diaphragm and foot processes and slit diaphragm proteins. Proteins that make up the SD between adjacent foot processes are depicted. Nephrin, NEPH1, NEPH2, P-cadherin, and FAT are membrane-spanning proteins that have large extracellular domains that are important for signaling events that determine the structural integrity of podocyte foot processes. These proteins include the slit diaphragm interact with intracellular adapter proteins, including CD2-AP, ZO-1, Synaptopodin, and ACTN4. The adapter proteins bind to filamentous actin (F-actin). The adhesion molecules dystroglycan and α3β1 integrin anchor the podocyte to the underlying glomerular basement membrane (GBM).