Genetically engineered mice have provided much information about gene function in the
field of developmental biology. Recently, conditional gene targeting using the Cre/loxP
system has been developed to control the cell type and timing of the target gene expression.
The increase in number of kidney-specific Cre mice allows for the analysis of phenotypes
that cannot be addressed by conventional gene targeting. The mammalian kidney is a vital
organ that plays a critical homeostatic role in the regulation of body fluid composition and …

Abstract Development of the metanephric kidney is a complicated process regulated by
reciprocal signals from the ureteric bud and the metanephric mesenchyme that regulate
tubule formation and epithelial branching morphogenesis. Over the past several years,
several studies have suggested that Wnt signaling is involved in multiple aspects of normal
kidney development as well as injury response and cancer progression. We will review
these data here.