Comeback Kidney

A thousand times smaller than water treatment plants, our kidneys balance the chemicals that sluice around inside our blood – removing waste, while helping to maintain water levels. The brain oversees this careful homeostasis, communicating with the kidneys using a combination of hormones and speedy signals carried by nerve cells [neurons]. Here, researchers investigate further, using sensitive light-sheet fluorescence microscopy to capture a developing mouse kidney in 3D. We see early neurons (highlighted in green) connecting up to the kidney's glomeruli (yellow) and blood vessels (pink). The team find that connections with different sets of nerves allow quick two-way communication between the brain and kidneys, helping to feedback and control their vital roles in mice and humans alike.

Written by John Ankers

John Ankers

Writer

A former researcher in systems biology, John is now an online biology tutor and professional coach supporting the wellbeing of scientists and NHS professionals. He's writing, too, of course.

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• Video from work by Pierre-Emmanuel Y. N’Guetta and colleagues
• Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
• Video originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution – NonCommercial – NoDerivs (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
• Published in Cell Reports, October 2024