From The New England Journal of Medicine
Since its publication in 1987, Lauri Saxen's superb monograph Organogenesis of the Kidney (Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press) has been the benchmark by which other books in the field have been judged. The past 15 years have witnessed an explosion in our knowledge of how the kidney develops, fueled to no small extent, in particular recently, by advances in comparative genomics and in numerous techniques for genetic manipulation of lower organisms. The molecular and cellular events that characterize kidney development are beginning to be unraveled; functional as well as developmental studies of the kidney in model organisms have been begun, and the molecular basis of many congenital urogenital disorders is being deciphered. These topics and others are nicely covered and well integrated in this new monograph. The vertebrate kidney is a unique organ from a developmental perspective: two embryonic kidneys (the pronephros and mesonephros) precede the formation of the adult (metanephric) kidney in reptiles and humans, whereas the mesonephros is the adult kidney in fish and amphibians. Can a study of these early structures (especially in model organisms) shed light on the organogenesis of the adult kidney? The answer turns out to be an overwhelming yes, as shown by the finding that similar sets of genes have regulatory roles. This thread runs through the book. The book is logically divided into three sections. The first section, which is on embryonic kidneys and model organisms, begins with a description of tubule development in an invertebrate (Drosophila melanogaster), which is followed by three chapters on the pronephric tubules, the nephric duct, and the pronephric glomus and vasculature. Mesonephric development is discussed in the next two chapters. Chapters on the molecular basis of pronephric development and on embryologic, genetic, and molecular techniques for studying embryonic kidney development wrap up this section. Section II is focused on the metanephric kidney. The presentations in this section parallel those in section I, starting with anatomical descriptions of the development of components that lead to the formation of the adult kidney -- the development of the ureteric bud and collecting system, the condensation of the metanephric mesenchyma, the formation of the nephron and of epithelial polarity, and the development of the glomeruli and vessels. The section concludes with chapters on developmental renal physiology and experimental methods for studying urogenital development and a review of the molecular program that underlies kidney development. Section III, on congenital diseases, starts with an overview of urogenital malformations and then proceeds to chapters on specific genes (WT1, PAX2) and specific diseases (e.g., cystic disorders, renal cancer, tubulopathies, and proteinuric states). A chapter on gene- and cell-based therapies for congenital diseases concludes the book. The book is well organized, lucidly written, and superbly illustrated. The writing style conveys a healthy excitement. The primary audience for this book will be serious students of kidney development, who will enjoy this comprehensive compendium and will profitably mull over the unanswered questions nicely posed at the end of many of the chapters. Developmental biologists in general will enjoy the book as well, because it does a fine job of emphasizing that the kidney is a wonderful system in which to study many critical issues in cellular and developmental biology (e.g., mechanisms of apoptosis, commitment, cell movement, mesenchymal-to-epithelial conversion, development of epithelial-cell polarity, and so on). Clinicians who desire an update on the genetic basis of hereditary and congenital renal disorders will also find the book useful, though the section on this subject may soon become outdated, given the current pace of discovery of genes with effects that lead to disease. In biology, structure often dictates function. Ultimately, how the human kidney converts "with infinite artfulness, the red wine of Shiraz into urine" (as Isak Dinesen wrote in Seven Gothic Tales) is better comprehended if we understand the structural complexity of the kidney and place this organ in an evolutionary context. For this purpose, The Kidney is a welcome addition to the literature and a worthy successor to Saxen's classic monograph.
Vikas P. Sukhatme, M.D., Ph.D.Copyright © 2003 Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved. The New England Journal of Medicine is a registered trademark of the MMS.
Review
"It is well written and will be useful both for students and researchers in developmental biology, as well as clinical nephrologists and urologists. This book clearly outlines the development of the human kidney from an evolutionary perspective. In addition, it describes the pronephros and the mesonephros in great detail...The book concludes with an excellent review of therapies for congenital kidney diseases, including gene-transfer techniques and cell-based therapies. Overall, The Kidney is well organized and well written...an excellent resource for the researcher in kidney development and developmental diseases, and an outstanding reference for clinical pediatric nephrologists and urologists."
- Sandeep Soman, TRENDS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY AND METABOLISM (2004)
"finding this book was like driving to the top of a small hill only to find a magnificent, snow-capped mountain range rising a dozen or so miles ahead, begging to be explored. ...an excellent point of departure for laboratory trainees, as well as more senior scientists, who may want to catch up on the fundamentals of renal development in the modern era without much of a struggle."
-AMERICAN JOURNAL OF KIDNEY DISEASES (August 2003)
"The book is well organized, lucidly written, and superbly illustrated. ...does a fine job of emphasizing that the kidney is a wonderful system in which to study many critical issues in cellular and developmental biology."
-THE NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE (November 2003)
"Recommended for medical and academic libraries and renal specialists."
-E-STREAMS (September 2003)
"This reader appreciates the imaginative handling of the illustrations that deal with pronephic, mesonephric, and metanephric development in a way that complements the excellent text descriptions...this book is an excellent point of departure for labratory trainees, as well as more senior scientists, like me, who may want to catch up on the fundamentals of renal development in the modenrn era without much of a struggle"
-KIDNEY INSTITUTE, UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS MEDICAL CENTER (2003)
