title: Modeling renal progenitors - defining the niche.
abstract: Significant recent advances in methodologies for the differentiation of pluripotent stem cells to renal progenitors as well as the definition of niche conditions for sustaining those progenitors have dramatically enhanced our understanding of their biology and developmental programing, prerequisites for establishing viable approaches to renal regeneration. In this article, we review the evolution of culture techniques and models for the study of metanephric development, describe the signaling mechanisms likely to be driving progenitor self-renewal, and discuss current efforts to generate de novo functional tissues, providing in depth protocols and niche conditions for the stabilization of the nephronic Six2+progenitor.
authors: Department of Kidney Development, Institute of Molecular Embryology and Genetics, Kumamoto University, 2-2-1 Honjo, Kumamoto 860-0811, Japan.
authors: Shunsuke
authors: S
authors: Tanigawa
authors: Cancer and Developmental Biology Laboratory, National Cancer Institute-Frederick, Frederick, MD 21702, United States. Electronic address: perantoa@mail.nih.gov.
authors: Alan O
authors: AO
authors: Perantoni
mesh_terms: D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000166:cytology* / Q000254:growth & development; D009399:Nephrons / Q000166:cytology* / Q000254:growth & development; D038081:Organogenesis / Q000235:genetics; D039904:Pluripotent Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D012038:Regeneration; D015398:Signal Transduction