Integration of embryonic stem cells in metanephric kidney organ culture

Many stages of nephrogenesis can be studied using cultured embryonic kidneys, but there is no efficient technique available to readily knockdown or overexpress transgenes for rapid evaluation of resulting phenotypes. Embryonic stem (ES) cells have unlimited developmental potential and can be manipulated at the molecular genetic level by a variety of methods. The aim of this study was to determine if ES cells could respond to developmental signals within the mouse embryonic day 12 to embryonic day 13 (E12 to E13) kidney microenvironment and incorporate into kidney structures. ROSA26 ES cells were shown to express beta-galactosidase ubiquitously when cultured in the presence of leukemia inhibitory factor to suppress differentiation. When these cells were microinjected into E12 to E13 metanephroi and then placed in transwell organ culture, ES cell-derived, beta-galactosidase-positive cells were identified in epithelial structures resembling tubules. On rare occasions, individual ES cells were observed in structures resembling glomerular tufts. Electron microscopy showed that the ES cell-derived tubules were surrounded by basement membrane and had apical microvilli and junctional complexes. Marker analysis revealed that a subset of these epithelial tubules bound Lotus tetragonolobus and expressed alpha(1) Na(+)/K(+) ATPase. ES cells were infected before injection with a cytomegalovirus promoter-green fluorescence protein (GFP) adenovirus and GFP expression was found as early as 18 h, persisting for up to 48 h in cultured kidneys. This ES cell technology may achieve the objective of obtaining a versatile cell culture system in which molecular interventions can be used in vitro and consequences of these perturbations on the normal kidney development program in vivo can be studied.