Control of Murine Kidney Development by Sonic Hedgehog and its GLI Effectors

Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) controls cell differentiation and morphogenesis in many tissues andspecies. The mammalian kidney is a paradigm for studying epithelial-mesenchymal interactionsand growth factor signaling during embryogenesis. Here, we review our recent findingsdemonstrating that SHH is required for normal murine kidney development. During renalmorphogenesis, SHH controls a hierarchy of genes including renal patterning genes, cell cyclemodulators, and GLI family members. Our investigation of GLI protein processing and bindingof GLI activators and repressor to SHH target genes provide insight into the molecularmechanisms by which SHH and its GLI family of effectors control renal embryogenesis. Further,we highlight the roles of BMP, WNT and FGF signaling during renal development and discusspossible interactions of these pathways with SHH signaling.