Christopher Ahn

HNF4A maintains proximal tubule identity and limits injury-associated cell states in the adult mouse kidney

This study shows that HNF4A maintains proximal tubule identity in adult mouse kidneys and its loss leads to injury-associated gene activation and loss of mature epithelial features.

Loss of Hnf1b in differentiated proximal tubule cells uncovers nephron segment plasticity

This study shows that HNF1B is essential for maintaining proximal tubule identity in mature kidney cells and prevents activation of alternative nephron segment programs.

Constitutive Yap activation in distal nephron segments disrupts epithelial identity and nephron patterning

This study shows that constitutive Yap activation in distal nephron segments disrupts epithelial identity and nephron patterning by altering cell proliferation, lineage boundaries, and gene expression.

A knock-in Six2Cre line reveals transient interstitial potential in nephron progenitors

The paper generates a knock-in Six2Cre mouse line to study nephron progenitor potential, finding a transient contribution to the renal interstitium around embryonic day 11.

MAPK/ERK signaling blocks ectopic H3K9me3 heterochromatin formation to confer mesoderm and endoderm developmental competence

The paper shows that MAPK/ERK signaling prevents H3K9me3 heterochromatin formation at lineage-specific gene loci during mesoderm and endoderm differentiation from human pluripotent stem cells.

Proximal tubule cells contribute to the thin descending limb of the loop of Henle during mouse kidney development

The paper identifies thin descending limb cells in developing mouse kidneys using scRNA-seq and shows they originate from proximal tubule cells, with Hnf4a playing a role in their development.