The Kidney

Peter D. Vize uses the many advantages of model systems to explore the very first events in kidney development. These studies have characterized both the inductive signals that initiate kidney formation and also characterized the genetic response to these signals. Adrian Woolf heads the Nephro-Urology Unit at the Institute of Child Health. His research focuses on defining the biological basis of low numbers of glomeruli; on elucidating the normal mechanisms of renal vessel differentiation; vascular remodeling in kidney disease; and the study of the clinical and genetic aspects of primary vesicoureteric reflux, duplex kidneys, glomerulocystic diseases (oral-facial-digital type 1 and the Renal Cysts and Diabetes syndromes), Bardet-Biedl syndrome, Kallmann's syndrome etc. Jonathan Bard is a developmental biologist whose main interests are kidney development, the generation of structures in embryos and bioinformatics. He currently works on the cellular basis of nephron formation and on making ontologies of vertebrate anatomy for gene-expression databases (see http://genex.hgu.mrc.ac.uk" target="_blank">http://genex.hgu.mrc.ac.uk)

"It is well written and will be useful both for students and researchers in developmental biology, as well as clinical nephrologists and urologists. This book clearly outlines the development of the human kidney from an evolutionary perspective. In addition, it describes the pronephros and the mesonephros in great detail...The book concludes with an excellent review of therapies for congenital kidney diseases, including gene-transfer techniques and cell-based therapies. Overall, The Kidney is well organized and well written...an excellent resource for the researcher in kidney development and developmental diseases, and an outstanding reference for clinical pediatric nephrologists and urologists." --TRENDS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY AND METABOLISM, 2004"finding this book was like driving to the top of a small hill only to find a magnificent, snow-capped mountain range rising a dozen or so miles ahead, begging to be explored. ...an excellent point of departure for laboratory trainees, as well as more senior scientists, who may want to catch up on the fundamentals of renal development in the modern era without much of a struggle." --AMERICAN JOURNAL OF KIDNEY DISEASES, August 2003"The book is well organized, lucidly written, and superbly illustrated. ...does a fine job of emphasizing that the kidney is a wonderful system in which to study many critical issues in cellular and developmental biology."  --THE NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE, November 2003"Recommended for medical and academic libraries and renal specialists."  --E-STREAMS, September 2003"This reader appreciates the imaginative handling of the illustrations that deal with pronephic, mesonephric, and metanephric development in a way that complements the excellent text descriptions...this book is an excellent point of departure for labratory trainees, as well as more senior scientists, like me, who may want to catch up on the fundamentals of renal development in the modenrn era without much of a struggle" -KIDNEY INSTITUTE, UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS MEDICAL CENTER, 2003

• SECTION 1: EMBRYONIC KIDNEYS AND MODELS1. Introduction: the embryonic kidneys and other nephrogenic models 2. Development of the Malpighian tubules in Drosophila melanogaster 3. Induction, development and physiology of the pronephric tubules 4. Formation of the nephric duct 5. The pronephric glomus and vasculature6. Development of the mesonephric kidney 7. 3-Dimensional anatomy of mammalian mesonephroi8. The Molecular control of pronephros development- an Overview 9. Embryological, genetic and molecular tools for investigating embryonic kidney developmentSECTION 2: THE ADULT KIDNEYS10. Introduction 11. Anatomy and Histology of the Human Urinary System12. Development of the Ureteric Bud 13. The Fates of the Metanephric Mesenchyme 14. The Formation and Development of Nephrons 15. Establishment of polarity in epithelial cells of the developing nephron 16. Development of the Glomerular Capillary and its Basement Membrane 17. The development of kidney blood vessels 18. The Development of function in the metanephric kidney 19. Experimental methods for studying urogenital development 20. Overview: The Molecular Basis of Kidney DevelopmentSECTION 3: CONGENITAL DISEASE21. Maldevelopment of the Human Kidney and Lower Urinary Tract: an Overview 22. Wilms' Tumor and related disorders 23. Pax-2 and Renal-Coloboma Syndrome 24. Polycystic Kidney Disease, von Hippel Lindau and Tuberous sclerosis 26. Renal Cell Carcinoma: The Human Disease 27. The Tubule 28. Diseases of the Glomerular Filtration Barrier: Alport Syndrome and Congenital Nephrosis (NPHS1)29. Congenital Kidney Diseases: Prospects for New Therapies