Cell adhesion molecules and extracellular-matrix constituents in kidney development and disease

Functional analyses of cell-matrix interactions during kidney organogenesis have provided compelling evidence that extracellular-matrix glycoproteins and their receptors play instructive roles during kidney development, Two c oncepts are worthy of emphasis. First, matrix molecules appear to regulate signal transduction pathways, either by activating cell-surface receptors s uch as integrins directly or by modulating the activity of signaling molecu les such as WNTs. Second, basement membranes are highly organized structure s and have distinct molecular compositions, which are optimized for their d iverse functions, The importance of these findings is highlighted by the fa ct that mutations affecting basement-membrane components lead to inherited forms of kidney disease.