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Updated: Jul 9, 2026

In Utero Intra-cardiac Tomato-lectin Injections on Mouse Embryos to Gauge Renal Blood Flow
Published on: February 4, 2015
Developmental biology of the human kidney
1The Hospital for Sick Children, Division of Nephrology and Program in Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. norman.rosenblum@sickkids.ca
Abstract:
The mammalian kidney consists of highly specialised cells that function in an integrated manner to maintain homeostasis of body fluids, electrolytes and nutrients. Formation of multicellular structures and differentiation of kidney cells are tightly regulated processes that begin during the fifth week and end by approximately 34 weeks of human gestation. This review focuses on the morphological, cellular and molecular steps required for kidney formation. Although some of this information is derived from studies of the human kidney, much has arisen from the study of genetic models of mammalian kidney morphogenesis. These models reveal mechanisms by which cell lineages are established in the embryonic kidney and the genetic pathways that are involved in their establishment and maintenance.
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