title: Does Renal Repair Recapitulate Kidney Development?
abstract: Over a decade ago, it was proposed that the regulation of tubular repair in the kidney might involve the recapitulation of developmental pathways. Although the kidney cannot generate new nephrons after birth, suggesting a low level of regenerative competence, the tubular epithelial cells of the nephrons can proliferate to repair the damage after AKI. However, the debate continues over whether this repair involves a persistent progenitor population or any mature epithelial cell remaining after injury. Recent reports have highlighted the expression of Sox9, a transcription factor critical for normal kidney development, during postnatal epithelial repair in the kidney. Indeed, the proliferative response of the epithelium involves expression of several pathways previously described as being involved in kidney development. In some instances, these pathways are also apparently involved in the maladaptive responses observed after repeated injury. Whether development and repair in the kidney are the same processes or we are misinterpreting the similar expression of genes under different circumstances remains unknown. Here, we review the evidence for this link, concluding that such parallels in expression may more correctly represent the use of the same pathways in a distinct context, likely triggered by similar stressors.
authors: Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia; and melissa.little@mcri.edu.au.|Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
authors: Melissa Helen
authors: MH
authors: Little
authors: Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia; and.|Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
authors: Pamela
authors: P
authors: Kairath
mesh_terms: D058186:Acute Kidney Injury / Q000503:physiopathology; D000818:Animals; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D007684:Kidney Tubules / Q000502:physiology; D038081:Organogenesis / Q000235:genetics; D012038:Regeneration / Q000235:genetics; D015398:Signal Transduction
keywords: Maladaptive repair; acute tubular injury; ischemia-reperfusion; kidney development; transcriptional profiling; tubular repair