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Updated: Jul 25, 2026

A Possible Zebrafish Model of Polycystic Kidney Disease: Knockdown of wnt5a Causes Cysts in Zebrafish Kidneys
Published on: December 2, 2014
Candidate gene associated with a mutation causing recessive polycystic kidney disease in mice
J H Moyer1, M J Lee-Tischler, H Y Kwon
1University of Tennessee Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Biology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, TN 37831-8077.
Abstract:
A line of transgenic mice was generated that contains an insertional mutation causing a phenotype similar to human autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease. Homozygotes displayed a complex phenotype that included bilateral polycystic kidneys and an unusual liver lesion. The mutant locus was cloned and characterized through use of the transgene as a molecular marker. Additionally, a candidate polycystic kidney disease (PKD) gene was identified whose structure and expression are directly associated with the mutant locus. A complementary DNA derived from this gene predicted a peptide containing a motif that was originally identified in several genes involved in cell cycle control.
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