Kidney organoids recapitulate human basement membrane assembly in health and disease

Summary

Basement membranes (BMs) are complex macromolecular networks underlying all continuous layers of cells. Essential components include collagen IV and laminins, which are affected by human genetic variants leading to a range of debilitating conditions including kidney, muscle, and cerebrovascular phenotypes. We investigated the dynamics of BM assembly in human pluripotent stem cell-derived kidney organoids. We resolved their global BM composition and discovered a conserved temporal sequence in BM assembly that paralleled mammalian fetal kidneys. We identified the emergence of key BM isoforms, which were altered by a pathogenic variant in COL4A5. Integrating organoid, fetal, and adult kidney proteomes, we found dynamic regulation of BM composition through development to adulthood, and with single-cell transcriptomic analysis we mapped the cellular origins of BM components. Overall, we define the complex and dynamic nature of kidney organoid BM assembly and provide a platform for understanding its wider relevance in human development and disease. © 2022, Morais et al.

Authors Morais MRPT, Tian P, Lawless C, Murtuza-Baker S, Hopkinson L, Woods S, Mironov A, Long DA, Gale DP, Zorn TMT, Kimber SJ, Zent R, Lennon R
Journal eLife
Publication Date 2022 Jan 25;11
PubMed 35076391
PubMed Central PMC8849328
DOI 10.7554/elife.73486

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