(A) Scheme showing the intact HoxD cluster (top) and two newly produced mouse strains used to characterize Hoxd genes responsible for microcyst formation. The strains are referred to as Del(i-9) or Dup(i-9) for a deletion or a duplication, respectively, and they span from ‘region i' to Hoxd9, inclusively (dashed lined).
(B, C) Kidney cryosections of WT (+/+), Del(i-9) homozygous (Del(i-9)/Del(i-9), Del(1–13) heterozygous (Del(1–13)/+) and Del(1–13)/Dup(i-9) compound mice were either stained with H&E (top), or processed for the detection of Gdf5 (left) or Hoxd9 (right) by ISH. The Del(1–13)/Dup(i-9) compound strain was obtained by breeding Del(1–13) and Dup(i-9) heterozygous mice.
(D) qPCR was used to compare the expression levels of Hoxd9, Hoxd8, Gdf5 and c-myc in newborn kidneys from the mouse strains described before. Values represent the mean of three independent experiments, after normalization to the WT. Independent Student's t test: **, P < 0.01.