2007 JASN IMPACT FACTOR 7.111	HOME   AUTHOR INFO   EDITORIAL BOARD   SUBSCRIBE   FEEDBACK   ALERTS   HELP
advanced	CURRENT ISSUE	ARCHIVES	JASN Express	ONLINE SUBMISSION

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: ASN.2008010119v1 19/11/2060    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Google Scholar Articles by Dressler, G. R. PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Dressler, G. R.

Epigenetics, Development, and the Kidney

Department of Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Correspondence: Dr. Gregory R. Dressler, Department of Pathology, 2049 BSRB 2200, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109. Phone: 734-764-6490; Fax: 734-763-6640; E-mail: dressler{at}umich.edu

How cells partition the genome into active and inactive genes and how that information is established and propagated during embryonic development are fundamental to maintaining the normal differentiated state. The molecular mechanisms of epigenetic action and cellular memory are increasingly amenable to study primarily as a result of the rapid progress in the area of chromatin biology. Methylation of DNA and modification of histones are critical epigenetic marks that establish active and silent chromatin domains. During development of the kidney, DNA-binding factors such as Pax2/8, which are essential for the intermediate mesoderm and the renal epithelial lineage, could provide the locus and tissue specificity for histone methylation and chromatin remodeling and thus establish a kidney-specific fate. The role of epigenetic modifications in development and disease is under intense investigation and has already affected our view of cancer and aging.

Copyright © 2008 by the American Society of Nephrology. Online ISSN: 1533-3450 Print ISSN: 1046-6673