The life of the human kidney before birth: Its secrets unfold

Human kidney and lower urinary tract malformations are a major cause of chronic renal failure in young children. Evidence is emerging that at least some of these disorders have a defined genetic basis. This is a rapidly evolving field, with new human mutations and informative animal models described almost monthly. In this review, we provide a background on important animal studies and then address human kidney development, highlighting recent studies where specific genes have been implicated in the pathogenesis of disease.