The erythropoietin gene is expressed strongly in the mammalian mesonephric
kidney
EM Wintour, A Butkus, L Earnest and S Pompolo
Howard Florey Institute of Experimental Physiology and Medicine, University
of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia.
In the ovine fetus at 41 days of gestation (term is 150 days), there are
two sets of kidneys, mesonephrol and metanephrol. We have examined the
expression of the erythropoietin (Epo) gene in both types of kidneys by
competitive reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and
hybridization histochemistry and compared the expression to that of the
60-day fetal metanephros. At 41 days, the Epo gene was expressed in both
mesonephros and metanephros, as well as in the fetal liver. The cells
expressing the Epo gene in the mesonephros were interstitial cells in the
vicinity of the proximal tubules.
Volume 88,
Issue 9,
pp. 3349-3353,
11/01/1996
Copyright © 1996 by The American Society of Hematology
