The early stages of renal development are critical for establishing the proper renal structure in the adult. Disruption of the normal pattern of epithelial branching can result in a reduction in the number of nephrons formed. This reduction in nephron number has been correlated with hypertension and chronic renal failure. Mouse models are a valuable tool to examine the genetic and environmental factors that affect renal development. The data from these mouse models is predominantely image-based phenotypic analyses. The current analysis methods permit investigators to compare number of nephrons and total renal size in experimental versus control animals. There are likely to be patterns of gene and protein expression or in spatial relationships between nephrons and blood vessels that may also be important in the function of the adult kidney. There are no tools available for the renal community to perform this type of analysis. The long term goal of this project is to create a database that permits modeling of renal development in the mouse. In the pilot study, a small-scale object-relational database will be built to examine ureteric bud branching, position of nephrons, and branching of blood vessels in E 13 and E 14 CD- 1 outbred mouse kidneys. The goals are 1) to collect high-quality image sets of E13 and El4 mouse kidneys using 2-photonmicroscopy. The images will be analyzed and features extracted. Goal 2: Build an object-relational database to handle multiple data types including images, spatial data, and vector graphics.
| Clendenon, Jeffrey L; Byars, Jason M; Hyink, Deborah P (2006) Image processing software for 3D light microscopy. Nephron Exp Nephrol 103:e50-4 |
| Basson, M Albert; Watson-Johnson, Judy; Shakya, Reena et al. (2006) Branching morphogenesis of the ureteric epithelium during kidney development is coordinated by the opposing functions of GDNF and Sprouty1. Dev Biol 299:466-77 |
