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Updated: May 10, 2025

Analysis of Nephron Composition and Function in the Adult Zebrafish Kidney
Published on: August 9, 2014
Patterning the nephron: Forming an axial polarity with distal and proximal specialization
Nils Olof Lindström1, Jessica May Vanslambrouck2
1Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Eli and Edythe Broad CIRM Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of Southern California.
Abstract:
Nephron formation and patterning are driven by complex cell biology. Progenitors migrate, transition into epithelia, and generate an axial epithelial polarity with distinct transcriptional signatures, regulating virtually all physiologies of the maturing kidney post birth. Here we review current insights into mammalian nephrogenesis and discuss how the nephron forms and patterns along its proximal-distal axis during embryonic and fetal development. Genetic pathways that are necessary for this process are discussed and integrated into the cell biology and morphogenetic programs underpinning nephrogenesis. Together, these views outline a developmental blueprint for replicating nephron formation in vitro.
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