Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) is a genetic condition in which dedifferentiated and highly
proliferative epithelial cells form renal cysts and is frequently treated by renal transplantation. Studies have reported
that bone marrow-derived cells give rise to renal epithelial cells, particularly following renal injury as often occurs
during transplantation. This raises the possibility that bone marrow-derived cells from a PKD-afflicted recipient could
populate a transplanted kidney and express a disease phenotype. However, for reasons that are not clear the
reoccurrence of PKD has not been reported in a genetically normal renal graft. We used a mouse model to
examine whether PKD mutant bone marrow-derived cells are capable of expressing a disease phenotype in the
kidney.