Sall4 Is Transiently Expressed in the Caudal Wolffian Duct and the Ureteric Bud, but Dispensable for Kidney Development

PLoS One. 2013 Jun 18;8(6):e68508. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0068508. Print 2013.

Abstract

The kidney, the metanephros, is formed by reciprocal interactions between the metanephric mesenchyme and the ureteric bud, the latter of which is derived from the Wolffian duct that elongates in the rostral-to-caudal direction. Sall1 expressed in the metanephric mesenchyme is essential for ureteric bud attraction in kidney development. Sall4, another member of the Sall gene family, is required for maintenance of embryonic stem cells and establishment of induced pluripotent stem cells, and is thus considered to be one of the stemness genes. Sall4 is also a causative gene for Okihiro syndrome and is essential for the formation of many organs in both humans and mice. However, its expression and role in kidney development remain unknown, despite the essential role of Sall1 in the metanephric mesenchyme. Here, we report that mouse Sall4 is expressed transiently in the Wolffian duct-derived lineage, and is nearly complementary to Sall1 expression. While Sall4 expression is excluded from the Wolffian duct at embryonic (E) day 9.5, Sall4 is expressed in the Wolffian duct weakly in the mesonephric region at E10.5 and more abundantly in the caudal metanephric region where ureteric budding occurs. Sall4 expression is highest at E11.5 in the Wolffian duct and ureteric bud, but disappears by E13.5. We further demonstrate that Sall4 deletion in the Wolffian duct and ureteric bud does not cause any apparent kidney phenotypes. Therefore, Sall4 is expressed transiently in the caudal Wolffian duct and the ureteric bud, but is dispensable for kidney development in mice.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Humans
  • Kidney / embryology*
  • Mice
  • Transcription Factors / metabolism*
  • Ureter / embryology*
  • Wolffian Ducts

Substances

  • SALL4 protein, human
  • Transcription Factors

Grants and funding

This study was supported in part by Grants-in-Aid from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan, and the Japan Science and Technology Agency, CREST. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.