Epidermal growth factor in the mouse kidney: developmental changes and intranephron localizations.

The developmental changes in epidermal growth factor (EGF) have been studied in tissue homogenates, kidney slices, and microdissected nephron segments of the mouse. Immunoreactive EGF concentration per milligram of protein increased in the kidney by about 20-fold from 1 week to 3 weeks of life, reaching the highest levels between 5 and 7 weeks, and decreasing by 10 weeks of life. The time course of the changes was different from those of submaxillary and urinary EGF. Above 7 weeks of age, kidney EGF was higher in female than in male mice. Among various zones of the kidney (outer cortex, inner cortex, outer medulla I, II and papilla), the outer medulla I and II contained the highest quantities of EGF per gram of wet tissue. The highest EGF content per millimeter length was observed in the medullary and cortical thick ascending limbs of Henle's loop. The amounts exceeded by about 4.5-fold those found in glomeruli and in proximal convoluted and proximal straight tubules, and by about 3-fold those present in distal and collecting tubules. Unilateral nephrectomy resulted in no significant changes in EGF levels in the contralateral kidney. The results suggest that the ontogeny of kidney EGF is different from that of the EGF found in the submaxillary gland, and that there is nephron heterogeneity in EGF content.