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Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Kidney Development: From the Embryo to the Kidney Organoid

Niloofar Khoshdel Rad1,2, Nasser Aghdami3, Reza Moghadasali1

  • 1Department of Stem Cells and Developmental Biology, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, ACECR, Tehran, Iran.

Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology
|April 9, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Human kidney organoids derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) offer a powerful 3D model for studying kidney development and disease. This research reviews key signaling pathways and transcription factors crucial for kidney organoid development.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Biology
  • Stem Cell Biology
  • Regenerative Medicine

Background:

  • Kidney development relies on intricate signaling and cell communication among four progenitor populations.
  • Human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived kidney organoids are advancing research into kidney development, physiology, and disease.
  • These 3D organoids serve as valuable in vitro models for studying cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions in renal development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review critical signaling pathways and transcription factors governing kidney development.
  • To explore how understanding these mechanisms enables the creation of 3D hiPSC-derived kidney organoids.
  • To highlight the potential of kidney organoids for studying renal development and disease.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on kidney development signaling pathways.
  • Analysis of transcription factors involved in cell fate determination during kidney development.
  • Discussion of the translation of developmental biology knowledge into the generation of kidney organoids.

Main Results:

  • Identification of key signaling pathways (e.g., Wnt, FGF, BMP) and transcription factors (e.g., SIX2, WT1) essential for kidney development.
  • Demonstration that knowledge of these pathways facilitates the directed differentiation of hiPSCs into kidney organoids.
  • Progress in creating more complex and vascularized kidney organoids in vitro.

Conclusions:

  • Understanding the molecular mechanisms of kidney development is crucial for generating functional kidney organoids.
  • hiPSC-derived kidney organoids represent a significant advancement for in vitro modeling of kidney development and disease.
  • Further research into vascularization and higher-order complexity is needed for more complete kidney organoid models.
Keywords:
differentiationkidney developmentorganoidrenal progenitorssignaling pathways

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