title: Ultrastructural characterization of the pronephric glomerulus development in zebrafish.
abstract: The zebrafish pronephros is a valuable model for studying kidney development and diseases. Ultrastructural studies have revealed that zebrafish and mammals share similarities in nephron structures such as podocytes, slit diaphragms, glomerular basement membrane, and endothelium. However, the basic ultrastructural features of the pronephric glomerulus during glomerulogenesis have not been characterized. To understand these features, it is instructive to consider the developmental process of the pronephros glomerulus. Here, we describe the ultrastructural features of pronephric glomerulus in detail from 24 h hours post-fertilization (hpf) to 144 hpf, the period during which the pronephric glomerulus develops from initiation to its mature morphology. The pronephric glomerulus underwent progressive morphogenesis from 24 to 72 hpf, and presumptive glomerular cells were observed ventral to the aorta region at 24 hpf. The nascent glomerular basement membrane and initial lumen were formed at 36 hpf. A lumen was clearly visible in the region of the pronephros at 48 hpf. At 60 hpf, the pronephric glomerulus contained more patches of capillaries. After these transformations, the complex capillary vessel networks had formed inside the glomerulus, which was surrounded by podocyte bodies with elaborate foot processes as well as well-formed glomerular basement membrane by 72 hpf. The number of renal glomerular cells rapidly increased, and the glomerulus presented its delicate structural features by 96 hpf. Morphogenesis was completed at 120 hpf with the final formation of the pronephric glomerulus. J. Morphol. 277:1104-1112, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
authors.affiliation: National Clinical Research Center of Kidney Disease, Jinling Hospital, Nanjing University School of Medicine, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Xiaodong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: National Clinical Research Center of Kidney Disease, Jinling Hospital, Nanjing University School of Medicine, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Zhaohong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: National Clinical Research Center of Kidney Disease, Jinling Hospital, Nanjing University School of Medicine, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Caihong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.affiliation: National Clinical Research Center of Kidney Disease, Jinling Hospital, Nanjing University School of Medicine, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: National Clinical Research Center of Kidney Disease, Jinling Hospital, Nanjing University School of Medicine, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: National Clinical Research Center of Kidney Disease, Jinling Hospital, Nanjing University School of Medicine, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.affiliation: National Clinical Research Center of Kidney Disease, Jinling Hospital, Nanjing University School of Medicine, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Zhihong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005306:Fertilization; D060730:Glomerular Filtration Barrier; D007678:Kidney Glomerulus / Q000196:embryology* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D009024:Morphogenesis; D050199:Podocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D060910:Pronephros / Q000196:embryology* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000196:embryology*
keywords: glomerular differentiation; glomerulogenesis; kidney; zebrafish pronephros