背景资料：NEPH3 (nephrin-like protein 3), also referred to as NLG1, FILTRIN or KIRREL2 (kin of IRRE like 2), is a 708 amino acid protein that is a member of the immunoglobulin superfamily of cell adhesion molecules. NEPH3 consists of five extracellular Ig-like repeats, a transmembrane domain, several glycosylation sites and a cytoplasmic domain that has a stretch of nine conserved residues. NEPH3 localizes to the interpodocyte filtration slit in the kidney and to the Langerhans islet beta cells in the pancreas. NEPH3 is thought to be involved in the maintenance of the glomerular filtration barrier in the kidney and in pancreas development.