Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 13, 2026

Optical Mapping of Action Potentials and Calcium Transients in the Mouse Heart
08:13

Optical Mapping of Action Potentials and Calcium Transients in the Mouse Heart

Published on: September 13, 2011

28.1K

A knock in Six2Cre line reveals transient interstitial potential in nephron progenitors

Azadeh Haghighitalab1,2, Fariba Nosrati1,2, Zeinab Dehghani-Ghobadi1,2

  • 1Feinberg Cardiovascular & Renal Research Institute, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA.

Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|February 12, 2026
PubMed

Insights

A new Six2Cre mouse model accurately traces kidney development. It reveals that Six2-expressing nephron progenitors transiently contribute to the renal interstitium during a specific embryonic window.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental biology
  • Renal biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • The developmental origins of the kidney interstitium and its relationship with nephron progenitors are unclear.
  • Existing lineage tracing tools, like the Six2TGC mouse line, have limitations including mosaic recombination and altered progenitor cell dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a more accurate lineage tracing tool for studying kidney development.
  • To investigate the contribution of Six2-expressing nephron progenitors to the renal interstitium.

Main Methods:

  • Generation of a knock-in Six2Cre mouse allele to faithfully recapitulate endogenous Six2 expression.
  • Side-by-side lineage tracing comparing Six2Cre and Six2TGC mouse lines.
  • RNA velocity analysis of single-cell RNA-sequencing datasets.

Main Results:

  • The Six2Cre allele provides near-complete, non-mosaic recombination and preserves nephron endowment.
  • Six2-expressing mesenchymal nephron progenitors transiently contribute to the renal interstitium around embryonic day 11.
  • This contribution is stage-restricted, indicating a brief developmental window.

Conclusions:

  • Nephron progenitors exhibit transient dual potential, contributing to both nephrons and the renal interstitium.
  • The study defines a precise developmental window for investigating nephron-interstitium integration mechanisms.
  • The Six2Cre mouse model is a superior tool for studying kidney development.

More Related Videos

Estimation of Nephron Number in Whole Kidney using the Acid Maceration Method08:15

Estimation of Nephron Number in Whole Kidney using the Acid Maceration Method

Published on: May 22, 2019

10.7K
Author Spotlight: Tracing the Ferroptotic Signatures and Cell Death Dynamics in Medulloblastoma for Advanced Therapeutics04:01

Author Spotlight: Tracing the Ferroptotic Signatures and Cell Death Dynamics in Medulloblastoma for Advanced Therapeutics

Published on: March 15, 2024

2.0K

Related Concept Videos

Nephrons01:10

Nephrons

The kidneys are intricate organs with millions of working units known as nephrons. Each nephron features two major structures: the renal corpuscle, which facilitates blood plasma filtration, and the renal tubule, which handles the glomerular filtrate. Blood supply is directly linked to the nephrons. The renal corpuscle consists of the glomerulus, a capillary network, and the Bowman's capsule, a double-walled epithelial structure that encases the glomerulus. The filtering of blood plasma...
7.1K
Series R—L Circuit Transients01:22

Series R—L Circuit Transients

In a series resistor-inductor (R-L) circuit, closing the switch at the start of the time period simulates a three-phase short circuit, a fault condition where all three phases of an unloaded synchronous machine are short-circuited. When there is no fault impedance and no initial current, the initial voltage is determined by the phase angle of the source voltage.
Using Kirchhoff's Voltage Law (KVL) to analyze this circuit helps determine the total asymmetrical fault current, which consists...
431
Potential Energy00:52

Potential Energy

The energy stored by a structure and location of matter in space is called potential energy. For instance, raising a kettlebell changes its spatial location and increases its potential energy. Similarly, a stretched rubber band contains potential energy which, under certain conditions, can be converted into other forms of energy, such as kinetic energy.
Chemical bonds that form attractive forces between atoms also contain potential energy, called chemical energy. When a chemical reaction...
42.9K
Potential Energy01:09

Potential Energy

A conservative force, such as a gravitational or elastic force, gives the body the capacity to do work. This capacity, measured as the potential energy, depends on the body's location or “position” relative to a fixed reference position or datum. The gravitational potential energy is considered zero at the reference point. Suppose a body is located at some vertical distance above a fixed horizontal reference or datum. In that case, the weight of the body has positive gravitational potential...
1.0K
Transient and Steady-state Response01:24

Transient and Steady-state Response

In control systems, test signals are essential for evaluating performance under various conditions. The ramp function is effective for systems undergoing gradual changes, while the step function is suitable for assessing systems facing sudden disturbances. For systems subjected to shock inputs, the impulse function is the most appropriate test signal.
These test signals are integral in designing control systems to exhibit two key performance aspects: transient response and steady-state...
590
Standard Electrode Potentials03:02

Standard Electrode Potentials

On comparing the reactivity of silver and lead, it is observed that the two ionic species, Ag+ (aq) and Pb2+ (aq), show a difference in their redox reactivity towards copper: the silver ion undergoes spontaneous reduction, while the lead ion does not. This relative redox activity can be easily quantified in electrochemical cells by a property called cell potential. This property is commonly known as cell voltage in electrochemistry, and it is a measure of the energy which accompanies the charge...
50.5K