Single-cell transcriptomics reveals gene expression dynamics of human fetal kidney development.
Maz��ne Hochane, Patrick R van den Berg, Xueying Fan, No��mie B��renger-Currias, Esm��e Adegeest, Monika Bialecka, Maaike Nieveen, Maarten Menschaart, Susana M Chuva de Sousa Lopes, Stefan Semrau
Author Information
Maz��ne Hochane: Leiden Institute of Physics, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Patrick R van den Berg: Leiden Institute of Physics, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands. ORCID
Xueying Fan: Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
No��mie B��renger-Currias: Leiden Institute of Physics, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands. ORCID
Esm��e Adegeest: Leiden Institute of Physics, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands. ORCID
Monika Bialecka: Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Maaike Nieveen: Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Maarten Menschaart: Leiden Institute of Physics, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands. ORCID
Susana M Chuva de Sousa Lopes: Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands. ORCID
Stefan Semrau: Leiden Institute of Physics, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands. ORCID
The current understanding of mammalian kidney development is largely based on mouse models. Recent landmark studies revealed pervasive differences in renal embryogenesis between mouse and human. The scarcity of detailed gene expression data in humans therefore hampers a thorough understanding of human kidney development and the possible developmental origin of kidney diseases. In this paper, we present a single-cell transcriptomics study of the human fetal kidney. We identified 22 cell types and a host of marker genes. Comparison of samples from different developmental ages revealed continuous gene expression changes in podocytes. To demonstrate the usefulness of our data set, we explored the heterogeneity of the nephrogenic niche, localized podocyte precursors, and confirmed disease-associated marker genes. With close to 18,000 renal cells from five different developmental ages, this study provides a rich resource for the elucidation of human kidney development, easily accessible through an interactive web application.
References
Am J Physiol Cell Physiol. 2014 Oct 15;307(8):C745-59
[PMID: 25163516]
