EpCAM controls morphogenetic programs during zebrafish pronephros development

Epithelial cell adhesion molecule EpCAM is a transmembrane glycoprotein that is dynamically expressed in human and murine renal epithelia during development. The levels of EpCAM in the renal epithelium are upregulated both during regeneration after ischemia/reperfusion injury and in renal-derived carcinomas. The role of EpCAM in early kidney development, however, has remained unclear. To identify potential programs and signaling pathways that are controlled by EpCAM during pronephros development, we developed a method to study the transcriptomes of specific pronephric segments. Combining laser capture microdissection (LCM) with RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), we generated genome-wide transcriptional profiles of the distal late tubules of wild type and EpCAM-deficient embryos. Overall design: RNA-seq of LCM-dissected pronephric cells from EpCAM-deficient and control zebrafish embryos

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Kuechlin S, Schoels M, Slanchev K, Lassmann S, Walz G, Yakulov TA