Regulation of organ size and stem cell hierarchy in the developing kidney

瞬时干/祖细胞群体在建立器官系统中起着重要作用。在肾单位祖细胞群体中自我更新和分化之间的平衡在调节肾脏发育中起着重要的作用，但知之甚少。由未分化的祖细胞产生的因子促进器官扩张，而这些细胞的分化建立功能能力。目前尚不清楚的是，在这些细胞中，自我更新和分化之间的平衡是如何调节的，也不清楚这种命运决定的控制如何影响器官的最佳发育。该项目旨在剖析干细胞群的分子特性、调节和对肾脏发育的影响。

Transient stem/progenitor cell populations play essential roles in establishing organ systems. The balance between self-renewal and differentiation in the nephron progenitor population plays a major, but poorly understood, role in regulating kidney development. Factors produced by undifferentiated progenitors promote organ expansion, whereas differentiation of these cells builds functional capacity. What is not clear is how the balance between self-renewal and differentiation is regulated in these cells, nor how the control of this fate decision impacts on optimal organ development. This project aims to dissect the molecular identity, regulation, and influence of this stem cell population on kidney development.