Effects of maternal chronic uremia on the development of fetal kidney : expression of growth factors and genes

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The present study designed to clarify the development of fetal kidney when maternal kidney become dysfunctional. During perinatal period, intense cell proliferation and apoptosis were present in the kidney. The number of proliferating cells was decreased with age at this period. Percentage of apoptotic cells in fetal kidney was significantly increased from fetal day 18 through 20 and decreased thereafter. Maternal uninephrectomy induced lowered proliferative activity of mature glomerulus, increased immunoreactivity of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) of immature glomerulus and increased immunoreactivities of epidermal growth factor (EGF) and EGF receptor in proximal tubules in fetal kidney. Further, maternal uninephrectomy induced increased number of apoptotic cells of collecting ducts and decreased expressions of c-fos, bcl-2, p53 and WT 1 mRNA.These results indicate that the development of fetal kidney is accelerated by maternal uninephrectomy, that the lowered proliferative activity of mature glomerulus is due to the enhanced expression of VEGF in immature glomerulus and decreased expression of oncogene (c-fos), and that the increase of apoptosis in collecting ducts is due not to elevated expression of tumor suppressor gene but to decreased expression of apoptosis suppressor gene.