The effect of neuronal cells on kidney differentiation

During embryonic growth, tissue interactions between dissimilar cells are the driving forces of morphogenesis. Although their importance has been well known for over the past 50 years, the molecular background of these interactions has remained unelucidated. The unrecognized heterogeneity of those mesenchymal cells that are involved in the epithelio-mesenchymal tissue interactions may be one reason for this. For example, studies of kidney differentiation show that the metanephric organ rudiment contains more cell-lines than previously thought. Identification of both neural crest- and mesoderm-derived cells in the nephrogenic mesenchyme helps in re-evaluating the biology of the tubule induction. The neural crest-derived cells of the nephric rudiment differentiate into neuronal cells, and later during differentiation some of them are found in the stroma. There is also experimental evidence for the role of these neuronal cells in the morphogenetic tissue interaction.