NOVEL MOUSE EMBRYONIC RENAL MARKER GENE-PRODUCTS DIFFERENTIALLY EXPRESSED DURING KIDNEY DEVELOPMENT

Investigators approaching the problem of renal organogenesis have been hampered by a paucity of suitable molecular markers that specify dist inct developmental phenotypes. To identify such markers, differential display-polymerase chain reaction (DD-PCR) was used to survey the temp oral pattern of gene expression in mouse kidney at 11.5, 13.5, 15.5, a nd 17.5 days after conception and in the adult kidney. Twenty-two diff erentially expressed amplification products were identified, isolated, and sequenced. Seventeen clones showed no significant similarity with previously reported nucleotide sequences: two were similar to two hou sekeeping gene products, and three were similar to human or rat expres sed sequence tags. To confirm the differential expression patterns obs erved by DD-PCR, semiquantitative reverse transcription-PCR was perfor med using sequence-specific oligonucleotide primers. Nineteen of 22 cl ones were differentially expressed during kidney development [mouse em bryonic renal marker (MERM) sequences 1-19]. The value of MERMs as dev elopmental markers was further assessed in mouse metanephric organ cul ture, where the pattern of MERM transcript expression mimicked that ob served in vivo. Therefore, the DD-PCR method permitted development of a panel of marker sequences that can be used to characterize renal dev elopmental processes and that may allow the identification of novel, f unctionally relevant gene products.