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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2010 Jan 15.
Published in final edited form as: J Am Soc Nephrol. 2008 Dec 31;20(1):23–35. doi: 10.1681/ASN.2008050456

Figure 7. Defects of cystoproteins lead to disruption of planar cell polarity, and thereby to renal cysts through to malorientation of the centrosome or mitotic spindle complex.

Figure 7

Correct orientation of the mitotic spindle and centrosomes with respect to the longitudinal axis of the tubule is critical for proper planar cell polarity (i.e., the orientation of an epithelial cell layer in 3-dimensional space). Non-canonical Wnt signaling (see Figure 6) is involved in regulation of planar cell polarity during renal tubular morphogenesis, when in rodents 2 weeks post partum the tubules still elongate. The structure that would result from disruption of this longitudinal orientation is a dilated tubule or cyst (from Germino Nature Genet 37:455, 2005).