Mammalian kidney development has helped elucidate the general concepts of
mesenchymal-epithelial interactions, inductive signaling, epithelial cell polarization, and
branching morphogenesis. Through the use of genetically engineered mouse models, the
manipulation of Xenopus and chick embryos, and the identification of human renal disease
genes, the molecular bases for many of the early events in the developing kidney are
becoming increasingly clear. Early patterning of the kidney region depends on interactions …