The roles of signaling pathways in regulating kidney development

The development of mammalian kidney is a complex process. The reciprocal inductive interactions between epithelial cells and metanephric mesenchymal cells determine cell fates including proliferation, growth, apoptosis, and eventually contribute to the formation of an intact kidney. Multiple signaling pathways, including the GDNF/Ret, Wnt and BMP signaling pathways, have been shown to regulate the development of kidney. A myriad of signaling pathways and their cross-talks form a precise spatiotemporal regulatory network, which ensures the kidney to be properly organized. In this review, we summarize the physiological process of kidney development as well as the involved signaling pathways and their interplay.