Transcriptional response of cap mesenchyme (undifferentiated nephron progenitors) to Wnt activation

During mammalian kidney development, mesenchymal nephron progenitors (cap mesenchyme) differentiate into the epithelial cells that go on to form the nephron. Although differentiation of nephron progenitors is triggered by activation of Wnt/b-catenin signaling, constitutive activation of Wnt/b-catenin signaling blocks epithelialization of nephron progenitors. Full epithelialization of nephron progenitors requires transient activation of Wnt/b-catenin signaling. We performed transcriptional profiling of nephron progenitors responding to constitutive or transient activation of Wnt/b-catenin signaling. Nephron progenitors were FACS-isolated from BAC transgenic Six2GFPcre-positive embryonic kidneys at E16.5. Cells were aggregated by centrifugation at 850g for 5min and incubated in 10%FBS/DMEM containing either 4uM BIO or the equal volume of DMSO for 24hrs or 48hrs.