Early Specification and Patterning of the Intermediate Mesoderm

In the developing kidney, the intermediate mesoderm must be specified along the anteroposterior and mediolateral axes of the embryo, such that the kidney progenitor field is separated from the paraxial and lateral plate mesoderm shortly after gastrulation. This region of mesoderm generates both the metanephric mesenchyme and the ureteric bud epithelium, the two populations of progenitor cells that differentiate into nephrons and collecting ducts, respectively. Cell signaling pathways, nuclear DNA biding proteins, and epigenetic modifiers act in concert to imprint a kidney specific fate upon the intermediate mesoderm and its derivatives. This chapter describes the process of early kidney development and introduces the latest advancements in the understanding of how epigenetic modifications affect renal lineage specification and the maintenance of the renal cell phenotype in the adult.