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Updated: May 31, 2026
08:34
Generation of Human Kidney Tubuloids from Tissue and Urine
Published on: April 16, 2021
Ciliogenesis in normal human kidney development and post-natal life
Mirna Saraga-Babić1, Katarina Vukojević, Ivana Bočina
1Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, School of Medicine, University of Split, Šoltanska 2, 21000 Split, Croatia. msb@mefst.hr
Pediatric Nephrology (Berlin, Germany)
|June 21, 2011
Summary
Primary cilia lengthening and Oct-4 expression are crucial for normal kidney development, influencing cell differentiation and polarity. Disruptions in these processes are linked to ciliopathies.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Nephrology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Ciliogenesis plays a role in human kidney development, affecting cell proliferation, differentiation, polarity, and lumen formation.
- Primary cilia are increasingly recognized for their roles in organogenesis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the appearance and length of primary cilia during human kidney development.
- To investigate the correlation between primary cilia, cell differentiation markers (Oct-4, Ki-67), and kidney morphogenesis.
- To understand the role of apico-basal polarity in tubular lumen formation.
Main Methods:
- Double immunofluorescence labeling for α-tubulin, γ-tubulin, Oct-4, and Ki-67.
- Electron microscopy.
- Analysis of human conceptuses (6-22 weeks) and a 5-year-old kidney.
Main Results:
- Cell proliferation decreased as nephrons matured.
- Primary cilia appeared on non-proliferating cells, with length increasing significantly during development (0.59 μm to 3.04 μm).
- Oct-4 expression correlated with kidney cell differentiation, and apico-basal polarity was essential for lumen formation.
Conclusions:
- Proper primary cilia lengthening and Oct-4 expression are vital for normal fetal and post-natal kidney development.
- Apico-basal polarity is critical for tubular lumen formation.
- Impaired ciliogenesis and related processes are associated with ciliopathies.
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