@article{5fd3e6505a5a488b92ab69977b58d2d3,
title = "Caspase activity is required for nephrogenesis in the developing mouse metanephros",
abstract = "Programmed cell death is a mechanism through which organisms get rid of unwanted cells and is thought to be an important process in organogenesis. Although large-scale cell death is observed in the developing kidney, the precise roles of cell death in kidney organogenesis remain to be elucidated. To address this question, we prevented cell death in metanephric explants by applying caspase inhibitors. Administration of caspase inhibitors (Z-D- CH2DCB and Ac-DEVD-CHO) effectively prevented the cell death that is normally observed in nondifferentiating mesenchymal cells. Both ureteric bud branching and nephrogenesis were prevented by caspase inhibition. Our results suggest that caspases are crucial in kidney organogenesis and cell death in the nondifferentiating mesenchyme.",
keywords = "Apoptosis, Caspases, Development, Kidney, Organogenesis",
author = "Takashi Araki and Takao Saruta and Hideyuki Okano and Masayuki Miura",
note = "Funding Information: We thank H. Kanuka for comments and technical support in the measurement of caspase activity. We are grateful to Y. Kitamoto at Kumamoto University School of Medicine for teaching kidney organ culture and J. L. Goldstein at Southwestern Medical Center for anti-caspase-3 antibody. This work was supported in part by grants from the Japanese Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture to H.O. and M.M. and a Grant-in-Aid from The Tokyo Biochemical Research Foundation to M.M. This work was also supported in part by Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology (CREST), Japan Science and Technology Corporation to H.O.",
year = "1999",
month = may,
day = "1",
doi = "10.1006/excr.1999.4424",
language = "English",
volume = "248",
pages = "423--429",
journal = "Experimental Cell Research",
issn = "0014-4827",
publisher = "Academic Press Inc.",
number = "2",
}