The aim of this project is to better understand the processes of early kidney development, focusing on the study of a protein called nephronectin and the integrin receptor to which it binds alpha8beta1. We know that the integrin alpha8beta1 is critical for kidney development in mice: mice lacking alpha8 beta1 do not develop kidneys while other organs are intact. Our goal is to investigate the specific role of nephronectin, as well as alpha8beta1, in kidney development using cultures of embryonic kidney. The numerous congenital kidney diseases that exist in humans underscore the importance of studying kidney development. In addition to the importance of kidney development in its own right, many parallels exist between molecules that are important for development and molecules that are important for kidney repair after an acute injury. This is particularly true of the early stages of kidney development, which this project focuses on.
