Zebrafish, Genes, and Human Kidneys : Gene Mapping in Zebrafish Mutants May Help Uncover Genetic Roots of Polycystic Kidney Disease

Abstract

Patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) suffer from disrupted kidney function due to large, fluid-filled cysts that form in the collecting ducts and kidney tubules. Current treatments for the disease manage cyst growth but do not prevent cyst formation. Although the specific genes that underlie polycystic kidney disease have been identified, the intervening steps between the altered gene and the disease symptoms remain in completely defined. The Lyman Gingerich lab studies polycystic kidney disease using the model organism Danio rerio, the zebrafish. Spinner mutant zebrafish develop kidney cysts and may be a good model for understanding cystic kidney disease.