This paper shows that insects possess a structure very similar, both anatomically and functionally, to the blood-filtering tissue of the vertebrate kidney, and raises the possibility that components of the vertebrate excretory system were inherited from their invertebrate ancestors. It is also shown that fly orthologues of the major constituents of the slit diaphragm of the kidney form a complex of interacting proteins similar to the vertebrate slit diaphragm complex.
- Helen Weavers
- Silvia Prieto-Sánchez
- Barry Denholm