animal models of the kidney slit diaphragm

There is a high degree of conservation between the vertebrate slit diaphragm (SD), main component of the kidney glomerular filtration barrier, and the nephrocyte filtration diaphragm (FD) of Drosophila. Thus, we recently validated the use of Drosophila nephrocytes to study the formation, function and repair of the vertebrate SD and to model nephropathies (Weavers*, Prieto-Sánchez et al., 2009; Tutor et al., 2014). In our lab we have conducted an RNAi-based screening to identify genes candidate to be components or regulators of the Drosophila FD. The place we offer is to functionally characterise these novel candidates.  The student will use a broad range of genetic, molecular, cell biology and developmental biology techniques.  

- Tutor, A.S., Prieto-Sánchez, S. y Ruiz-Gómez, M. (2014). Src64B phosphorylates Dumbfounded and regulates slit diaphragm dynamics: Drosophila, as a model to study nephropathies. Development, 141: 367-376.

- Weavers, H*., Prieto-Sánchez, S*., Grawe, F., Garcia-López, A., Artero, R., Wilsch-Bräuninger, M., Ruiz-Gómez, M., Skaer, H. y Denholm, B. (2009). The insect nephrocyte is a podocyte-like cell with a filtration slit diaphragm. Nature, 457: 322-326.