Development in organ tissue culture of kidney rudiments from mutant mouse embryos

Abstract

The developmental potencies of components of the kidney rudiment of prospectively kidneyless mice, homozygous for the Sd mutation, were studied in organ tissue culture. Intact kidney rudiments of Sd homozygous embryos were able to undergo differentiation in vitro, although to a lesser degree than normal and with abnormalities of the ureter and reduced mesenchymal tubule formation. Reciprocal combinations of normal and mutant kidney mesenchyme with normal and mutant ureter resulted in differentiation of ureteric branches and tubule formation. Normal as well as mutant spinal cord elicited tubule differentiation in normal or mutant kidney mesenchyme. Whereas the Sd mutation does not affect differentiation potentials of the embryonic kidney rudiment qualitatively, a smaller proportion of mutant than of normal rudiments shows differentiation, and those rudiments which do differentiate start later and produce fewer tubules than normal. The possible mechanisms underlying this effect of the genetic change on kidney differentiation are discussed.