Kidney on a Chip

We generated primary cultures from mechanically isolated kidney glomeruli (filtration unit of the nephron) which are composed of podocytes and mesangial cells. In parallel, we generated primary kidney cortex tubule cell cultures, which are composed primarily of proximal tubule cells. Early passage cultures of these two cell types were subjected to chromatin accessibility profiling (DNase-Seq) and gene expression profiling (RNA-Seq). We found thousands of dynamically regulated enhancers in both cell types that potentially regulate nearby and distal target genes that are differentially expressed. These data will be useful for understanding the epigenomic regulation of gene transcription in key kidney cell types.]]> Inclusion criteria: Undergoing nephrectomy for clinical indication of a renal mass, or other clinical indication. Informed consent provided by patient of legally authorized representative (LAR). Exclusion criteria: If patient does not fully function cognitively, there must be a LAR available for consent. Patient or LAR must be able to communicate in English. ]]>