Organogenesis of the kidney has been intensely studied for over a century. In recent years advances in molecular techniques have not only made great inroads into exploring the genetic regulation of this complex process but also began to unravel the molecular basis of many forms of congenital kidney disease. This book is a comprehensive study on these findings and the only book available with such in depth coverage of the kidney.

Contents

Foreword

SECTION 1: EMBRYONIC KIDNEYS AND MODELS

1. 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 vasculature
6. Development of the mesonephric kidney
7. 3-Dimensional anatomy of mammalian mesonephroi
8. The Molecular control of pronephros development- an Overview
9. Embryological, genetic and molecular tools for investigating embryonic kidney development

SECTION 2: THE ADULT KIDNEYS

10. Introduction
11. Anatomy and Histology of the Human Urinary System
12. 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 Development

SECTION 3: CONGENITAL DISEASE

21. 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