PUBLICATION

Using Zebrafish to Study Podocyte Genesis During Kidney Development and Regeneration

Authors
Kroeger, P.T., Wingert, R.A.
ID
ZDB-PUB-140613-7
Date
2014
Source
Genesis (New York, N.Y. : 2000)   52(9): 771-92 (Review)
Registered Authors
Kroeger, Paul, Wingert, Rebecca
Keywords
development, glomerulus, kidney, podocyte, regeneration, renal corpuscle, zebrafish
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Cell Differentiation
  • Humans
  • Kidney/embryology
  • Mesonephros/cytology*
  • Models, Animal
  • Organogenesis*
  • Podocytes/cytology*
  • Regeneration*
  • Zebrafish/embryology*
PubMed
24920186 Full text @ Genesis
Abstract
During development, vertebrates form a progression of up to three different kidneys that are comprised of functional units termed nephrons. Nephron composition is highly conserved across species, and an increasing appreciation of the similarities between zebrafish and mammalian nephron cell types has positioned the zebrafish as a relevant genetic system for nephrogenesis studies. A key component of the nephron blood filter is a specialized epithelial cell known as the podocyte. Podocyte research is of the utmost importance as a vast majority of renal diseases initiate with the dysfunction or loss of podocytes, resulting in a condition known as proteinuria that causes nephron degeneration and eventually leads to kidney failure. Understanding how podocytes develop during organogenesis may elucidate new ways to promote nephron health by stimulating podocyte replacement in kidney disease patients. In this review, we discuss how the zebrafish model can be used to study kidney development, and how zebrafish research has provided new insights into podocyte lineage specification and differentiation. Further, we discuss the recent discovery of podocyte regeneration in adult zebrafish, and explore how continued basic research using zebrafish can provide important knowledge about podocyte genesis in embryonic and adult environments.
Genes / Markers
Figures
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping