Phenotypic Transition of the Collecting Duct Epithelium in Congenital Urinary Tract Obstruction
Figure 4
E-cadherin and -smooth muscle actin immunoreactivity. Normal kidneys ((a)–(c)). In the normal mid gestation (18 weeks) (a), late gestation (27 weeks) (b), and postnatal (12 months) (c) kidneys, -smooth muscle actin (-SMA)-IR (green) was absent in the CD epithelium; however, intercellular localization of E-cadherin-IR (red) was well established from mid gestation onwards (arrows). Obstructed kidneys ((d)–(f)). Circumferential collars expressing -SMA-IR (green) are present in the (d) mid gestation (18 weeks), (e) late gestation (36 weeks), and (f) postnatal (16 months) kidneys (arrows). De novo expression of -SMA-IR in the obstructed CD epithelium is present at 18 weeks gestation ((d) inset, arrowhead) but not in the late gestation (e) or postnatal (f) kidneys. As in Figure 3, E-cadherin expression (red) is disrupted, with translocation from the cell membrane to cytoplasm ((d)–(f)) and to the nucleus ((e) inset, arrowhead). Scale bar = 25 m.
