Development of glomerular endothelial cells, podocytes and mesangial cells in the human fetus and infant.

The process of glomerular development consists of four developmental stages: vesicle (V) stage, S-shaped body (S) stage, capillary loop (C) stage and maturation (M) stage. However, the development of glomerular endothelial, mesangial and epithelial cells in fetal and infant kidneys remains unclear. In order to determine the characteristics of human glomerular development, we investigated the process of glomerular development by staining fetal and infant kidneys for CD31, CD34 and FB21, markers for endothelial cells, alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA), a marker for mesangial cells, and nephrin, a marker for podocytes.

FB21, a monoclonal antibody that reacts with a sialic-acid-dependent carbohydrate epitope, is a marker for glomerular endothelial cell injury.

Background: FB21 is reactive with glomerular endothelial cells and distal tubules of the human kidney and is bound to a sialic-acid-dependent cell-surface antigen. We evaluated FB21 staining in fetal kidneys and kidneys of children and adults with normal kidneys and glomerulonephritis and investigated whether FB21 can be used as a marker for endothelial cell injury.

Methods: This study was performed on 6 children, 10 adults, and 12 fetuses with normal kidneys and 113 patients diagnosed with primary and secondary glomerulonephritis.