Vainio Seppo J
Biocenter and Department of Biochemistry, Faculties of Science and Medicine, University of Oulu, PO Box 3000, Oulu, FIN-90014, Finland.
J Nephrol. 2003 Mar-Apr;16(2):279-85.
Since the discovery that nephron development depends on inductive signaling, the aim has been to characterize the signals involved. These have remained elusive, but some have been identified in recent years, indicating an important role for the members of the Wnt family of secreted growth and differentiation factors. Wnt-4, which is expressed in the developing nephron during the morphogenetic period, is necessary to form nephrons and Wnt signaling is also sufficient to trigger tubule development experimentally in the separated, uninduced kidney mesenchyme. The expression of several other Wnts during kidney development has also been characterized, establishing these as candidates for involvement in the mediation of mesenchymal-epithelial signaling and ureteric bud growth. The varied role of Wnt signaling in the developing kidney is discussed.
自从发现肾单位的发育依赖于诱导信号传导以来，目标一直是表征其中涉及的信号。这些信号一直难以捉摸，但近年来已鉴定出一些，这表明分泌型生长和分化因子的Wnt家族成员具有重要作用。在形态发生期发育中的肾单位中表达的Wnt-4是形成肾单位所必需的，并且Wnt信号传导在实验中也足以在分离的、未诱导的肾间充质中触发肾小管发育。还对肾脏发育过程中其他几种Wnt的表达进行了表征，将它们确定为参与间充质-上皮信号传导和输尿管芽生长介导的候选者。本文讨论了Wnt信号传导在发育中的肾脏中的多种作用。
