Coding variants in the APOL1 gene are associated with kidney diseases in African ancestral
populations; yet, the underlying biologic mechanisms remain uncertain. Variant-dependent
autophagic and cytotoxic cell death have been proposed as pathogenic pathways mediating
kidney injury. To examine this possibility, we conditionally expressed APOL1-G0 (reference),-
G1, and-G2 (variants) using a tetracycline-regulated system in HEK293 cells. Autophagy
was monitored biochemically and cell death was measured using multiple assays. We …