Development of Glomerular Endothelial Cells, Podocytes and Mesangial Cells in the Human Fetus and Infant

Abstract

The process of glomerular development consists of four developmental stages: vesicle (V) stage, S-shaped body (S) stage, capillary loop (C) stage and maturation (M) stage. However, the development of glomerular endothelial, mesangial and epithelial cells in fetal and infant kidneys remains unclear. In order to determine the characteristics of human glomerular development, we investigated the process of glomerular development by staining fetal and infant kidneys for CD31, CD34 and FB21, markers for endothelial cells, α -smooth muscle actin (α -SMA), a marker for mesangial cells, and nephrin, a marker for podocytes. These series of studies were carried out on kidneys obtained at autopsy from 27 fetuses and 5 infants. The fetuses were divided into the following 5 groups according to gestational age; 13-19, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34 and 35-39 weeks. In each group, glomerular development was classified according to the developmental stage and the staining patterns for CD31, CD34, FB21, α -SMA and nephrin. The proportion of V-stage development in 100 glomeruli examined was highest at 13-19 weeks. After 20 weeks, the V-stage proportion decreased gradually, and the proportion of S stage became highest at 20-24 weeks. The C-stage proportion was highest at 25-29 weeks, while the M-stage proportion was highest in infants aged 1-6 months. The staining patterns for CD31, CD34 and FB21 were similar in endothelial cells after 25 weeks of gestation. Staining of α -SMA and nephrin was first observed in the S stage. In conclusion, maturation of endothelial cells starts at 25 weeks and is completed by 35 weeks of gestation. Epithelial cells and mesangial cells first appear during the S stage. glomerular development; CD31; CD34; FB21 © 2007 Tohoku University Medical PressThe glomerulus, the most important filtering apparatus in the body, is a unique and highly specialized structure. Three types of cells in the glomerular tufts, the glomerular capillary endothelial cells, mesangial cells and glomerular epithelial cells, can be clearly identified, and their functions

Podocyte-specific expression of organic cation transporter PMAT: implication in puromycin aminonucleoside nephrotoxicity

“…To discern the cellular expression of PMAT in the glomeruli, double immunofluorescence labeling was performed on human kidney cryosections using established cell type-specific markers for podocytes, mesangial cells, and glomerular endothelial cells-the three major cell types that make up the glomerulus. No overlap of specific PMAT staining was observed with ␣-smooth muscle actin (␣-SMA), a cell body marker for mesangial cells (13), or CD31, a cell surface marker for endothelial cells (24) (Fig. 3, A and B).…”

Effects of preterm birth and ventilation on glomerular capillary growth in the neonatal lamb kidney

“…In the human fetal kidney, research has shown that the maturation of glomerular endothelial cells is ongoing until approximately 35–39 weeks gestation [35], which follows the completion of nephrogenesis at 32–36 weeks [26, 36]. Indeed, the term control lambs exhibited significantly greater capillary length than the gestational controls which is suggestive of increased growth in relation to increasing age.…”

Trifluoperazine Inhibits Mesangial Cell Proliferation by Arresting Cell Cycle-Dependent Mechanisms

“…Mesangial cells play an essential role in many aspects, for example, formation of capillary loops during development, contraction to regulate capillary flow, and removal of macromolecules [1–3], but the severe proliferation of MC causes functional damage of the kidneys.…”