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"During kidney development, new nephrons are induced by an interaction between the ureteric epithelium and the metanephric mesenchyme. At the tip of the ureteric bud epithelium the responding mesenchyme condenses and forms an epithelial vesicle that then undergoes morphogenesis to form the complex tubular structures of the mature nephron. In response to the mesechymal condensation, the ureteric bud will branch, forming two new ureteric bud tips (forming the "T" structure) that invade and induce additional mesenchyme to form additional nephrons. The image above is of a partially dissected 14.5 d.p.c. embryonic kidney from a transgenic mouse expressing CFP in the ureteric epithelium (blue) and YFP in the newly forming nephrons (green) (mouse genotype is bac-Pax8-YFP;Hoxb7-Cre/R26RCFP/+). This and similar transgenic mouse lines permit continuous detailed image analysis of this developmental process in organ explant culture." |
