Figure 5: Cystic kidney phenotypes in Anks6Strkr and Nek8Rocmutants.
From: ANKS6 is the critical activator of NEK8 kinase in embryonic situs determination and organ patterning
(a–f) Haematoxylin and eosin-stained kidney sections of newborn wild-type (a,d), homozygous Anks6Strker (b,e) and Nek8Roc mutant mice (c,f). In the Anks6 mutant kidney, note the presence of widespread cystic tubular dilatation throughout the cortex and medulla, along with a number of markedly enlarged glomerular cysts. The Nek8Roc mutants showed hydronephrosis with hydroureter and cystic tubular dilatation throughout the parenchyma along with some small glomerular cysts (scale bar, 100 μm). (g–i) T1α (red, glomeruli), Dolichos biflorus agglutinin (DBA; green, collecting ducts) and DAPI (blue, nuclei) staining in these same kidneys showed cystic dilatation of Bowman’s space in the glomerulus in the Anks6 (h) and Nek8 (i) mutants (scale bar, 10 μm). (j–l) Acetylated tubulin (red, cilia), DBA (green, collecting ducts) and DAPI (blue, nuclei) staining shows the presence of shortened cilia in the mutant Anks6Strkr and Nek8Roc newborn kidneys (scale bar, 10 μm). (m–p) Haematoxylin and eosin-stained kidney sections of adult wild-type (m,o) and homozygous Anks6Strkr (n,p) adult kidneys showed large glomerular cysts throughout the cortex and cystic tubular dilatation along the corticomedullary junction of the kidney, along with inflammatory mononuclear cell infiltrates in the mutant (n). Scale bar, 100 μm. (q,r) T1α (red, glomeruli), DBA (green, collecting ducts) and DAPI (blue, nuclei) staining of adult kidneys showed cystic dilatation of Bowman’s space in the glomerulus in the Anks6 mutant (r; scale bar, 10 μm). (s,t) Acetylated tubulin (red, cilia), DBA (green, collecting ducts) and DAPI (blue, nuclei) staining of adult kidneys showed cystic dilatation of the collecting ducts and nephrons in the Anks6 mutant (t). Note that tubular epithelia are ciliated in both control and mutant (scale bar, 5 μm).
