QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s):
Home     Help     Feedback     Subscriptions     Archive     Search     Table of Contents

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Yu, J. Articles by McMahon, A. P. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Yu, J. Articles by McMahon, A. P. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Sonic hedgehog regulates proliferation and differentiation of mesenchymal cells in the mouse metanephric kidney

Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, 16 Divinity Avenue, Harvard University, Cambridge MA 02138, USA

^* Author for correspondence (e-mail: amcmahon{at}mcb.harvard.edu)

Accepted 12 August 2002

Signaling by the ureteric bud epithelium is essential for survival, proliferation and differentiation of the metanephric mesenchyme during kidney development. Most studies that have addressed ureteric signaling have focused on the proximal, branching, ureteric epithelium. We demonstrate that sonic hedgehog is expressed in the ureteric epithelium of the distal, non-branching medullary collecting ducts and continues into the epithelium of the ureter — the urinary outflow tract that connects the kidney with the bladder. Upregulation of patched 1, the sonic hedgehog receptor and a downstream target gene of the signaling pathway in the mesenchyme surrounding the distal collecting ducts and the ureter suggests that sonic hedgehog acts as a paracrine signal. In vivo and in vitro analyses demonstrate that sonic hedgehog promotes mesenchymal cell proliferation, regulates the timing of differentiation of smooth muscle progenitor cells, and sets the pattern of mesenchymal differentiation through its dose-dependent inhibition of smooth muscle formation. In addition, we also show that bone morphogenetic protein 4 is a downstream target gene of sonic hedgehog signaling in kidney stroma and ureteral mesenchyme, but does not mediate the effects of sonic hedgehog in the control of mesenchymal proliferation.

Key words: Kidney, Sonic hedgehog, Shh, Proliferation, Smooth muscle, Mouse, Ureter, Hydroureter

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				B.-e. Wang, J. Shou, S. Ross, H. Koeppen, F. J. de Sauvage, and W.-Q. Gao Inhibition of Epithelial Ductal Branching in the Prostate by Sonic Hedgehog Is Indirectly Mediated by Stromal Cells J. Biol. Chem., May 9, 2003; 278(20): 18506 - 18513. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. R. Barrow, K. R. Thomas, O. Boussadia-Zahui, R. Moore, R. Kemler, M. R. Capecchi, and A. P. McMahon Ectodermal Wnt3/beta -catenin signaling is required for the establishment and maintenance of the apical ectodermal ridge Genes & Dev., February 1, 2003; 17(3): 394 - 409. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]