Differential expression and function of cadherin-6 during renal epithelium development.

The cadherin gene family encodes calcium-dependent adhesion molecules that promote homophilic interactions among cells. During embryogenesis, differential expression of cadherins can drive morphogenesis by stimulating cell aggregation, defining boundaries between groups of cells and promoting cell migration. In this report, the expression patterns of cadherins were examined by immunocytochemistry and in situ hybridization in the embryonic kidney, during the time when mesenchymal cells are phenotypically converted to epithelium and the pattern of the developing nephrons is established.

Post-translational processing and renal expression of mouse Indian hedgehog.

The full-length mouse Indian hedgehog (Ihh) cDNA was cloned from an embryonic 17.5-day kidney library and was used to study the post-translational processing of the peptide and temporal and spatial expression of the transcript. Sequence analysis predicted two putative translation initiation sites.