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Kidney regeneration: common themes from the embryo to the adult

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Abstract

The vertebrate kidney has an inherent ability to regenerate following acute damage. Successful regeneration of the injured kidney requires the rapid replacement of damaged tubular epithelial cells and reconstitution of normal tubular function. Identifying the cells that participate in the regeneration process as well as the molecular mechanisms involved may reveal therapeutic targets for the treatment of kidney disease. Renal regeneration is associated with the expression of genetic pathways that are necessary for kidney organogenesis, suggesting that the regenerating tubular epithelium may be “reprogrammed” to a less-differentiated, progenitor state. This review will highlight data from various vertebrate models supporting the hypothesis that nephrogenic genes are reactivated as part of the process of kidney regeneration following acute kidney injury (AKI). Emphasis will be placed on the reactivation of developmental pathways and how our understanding of the resulting regeneration process may be enhanced by lessons learned in the embryonic kidney.

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Acknowledgments

Supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, NAH: 2R01 DK069403, 2R01 HD053287, 1P30 DK079307; MPdC: 1RO1 HL093057, 1P30 DK079341; NAH/MPdC 1RC4 DK090770; AJD: The Rutherford Foundation Trust and the Marsden Fund of New Zealand.

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  1. Department of Developmental Biology, University of Pittsburgh, 3501 5th Ave., 5061 BST3, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA

    M. Cecilia Cirio, Eric D. de Groh & Neil A. Hukriede

  2. Department of Medicine, Division of Nephrology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA

    Mark P. de Caestecker

  3. Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

    Alan J. Davidson

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  1. M. Cecilia Cirio
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Correspondence to Neil A. Hukriede.

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Cirio, M.C., de Groh, E.D., de Caestecker, M.P. et al. Kidney regeneration: common themes from the embryo to the adult. Pediatr Nephrol 29, 553–564 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00467-013-2597-2

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