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Determining lineage relationships in kidney development and disease
Melissa H Little1,2,3, Sara E Howden4,5, Kynan T Lawlor4
1Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia. melissa.little@mcri.edu.au.
Nature Reviews. Nephrology
|October 1, 2021
Summary
Understanding cell lineage is crucial for development, repair, and disease. New methods like CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing in human stem cells are beginning to reveal human cell origins, complementing mouse studies.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Genetics
- Stem Cell Biology
Background:
- Cell lineage tracing is vital for understanding tissue development, repair mechanisms, and disease pathology.
- Genetic lineage tracing in mice has elucidated mammalian kidney formation and cellular responses to injury.
- Single-cell technologies enable predictive lineage analysis in developing human and model systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review current methodologies for cell lineage tracing.
- To highlight advancements in understanding kidney development and injury.
- To discuss the potential of new technologies for human lineage studies.
Main Methods:
- Genetic lineage tracing in mouse models.
- Inducible Cre systems for postnatal studies.
- Single-cell transcriptional profiling and trajectory analysis.
- CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing in human pluripotent stem cells.
Main Results:
- Mouse studies identified key kidney progenitors and demonstrated cellular plasticity post-injury.
- Computational analyses predict cellular relationships in developing kidneys.
- CRISPR-Cas9 editing offers a novel genetic approach to human lineage tracing.
Conclusions:
- Cell lineage studies are advancing rapidly with new technologies.
- Mouse models provide foundational knowledge, but human-specific studies are emerging.
- CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing holds promise for deciphering human cell origins and disease mechanisms.
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