Quicktime Development Animation - Renal

width=350px|height=260px|controller=true|autoplay=false</qt>

Early Renal Development This animation shows the process of early renal development of the kidney nephron, convoluted tubule and collecting duct. Legend Uteric Bud - developing ureter, pelvis, calyces, collecting ducts Metanephric Blastema (intermediate mesoderm) - developing glomeruli, capsule, nephron tubules Links: Quicktime version | Flash version

Nephron Development

• disorganised mesenchymal cells become a highly organised epithelial tubule
• Condensation - groups of about 100 cells condense tightly together to form a distinct mass
• Epithelialisation - condensed cells lose their mesenchymal character and gain epithelial
• At end of this period formed a small epithelial cyst complete with a basement membrane, cell-cell junctions and a defined cellular apico-basal polarity.

Early morphogenesis

• cyst invaginates twice to form a comma
• then a S-shaped body one invagination site later becomes the glomerular cleft
• At about this time blood vessel progenitors invade cleft to begin construction of vascular component of glomerulus
• Tubule maturation specialised transporting segments of nephron differentiate complex of convoluted tubules is created