American journal of nephrology
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Apoptosis plays an important role in the morphogenesis of the renal papilla. During kidney development, ATL is derived from the TAL in the inner medulla by apoptotic deletion of a fraction of TAL cells and the transformation of the remaining TAL cells. EGF is an important regulator of apoptosis in the kidney. ⋯ These findings suggest that exogenous EGF delays the development of loop of Henle in the renal papilla by reducing both apoptosis and cell proliferation.