Although the genetic basis of many kidney diseases is being rapidly elucidated, their experimental study remains problematic owing to the lack of suitable models. The fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster provides a rapid, ethical and cost-effective model system of the kidney. The unique advantages of D. melanogaster include ease and low cost of maintenance, comprehensive availability of genetic mutants and powerful transgenic technologies, and less onerous regulation, as compared with mammalian systems. Renal and excretory functions in D. melanogaster reside in three main tissues — the transporting renal (Malpighian) tubules, the reabsorptive hindgut and the endocytic nephrocytes. Tubules contain multiple cell types and regions and generate a primary urine by transcellular transport rather than filtration, which is then subjected to selective reabsorption in the hindgut. By contrast, the nephrocytes are specialized for uptake of macromolecules and equipped with a filtering slit diaphragm resembling that of podocytes. Many genes with key roles in the human kidney have D. melanogaster orthologues that are enriched and functionally relevant in fly renal tissues. This similarity has allowed investigations of epithelial transport, kidney stone formation and podocyte and proximal tubule function. Furthermore, a range of unique quantitative phenotypes are available to measure function in both wild type and disease-modelling flies.

尽管许多肾脏疾病的遗传基础正在迅速阐明，但由于缺乏合适的模型，他们的实验研究仍然存在问题。果蝇果蝇提供了一种快速、合乎道德且具有成本效益的肾脏模型系统。与哺乳动物系统相比，黑腹果蝇的独特优势包括维护简便且成本低、基因突变体和强大的转基因技术的全面可用性以及繁重的监管。黑腹果蝇的肾脏和排泄功能存在于三个主要组织中——运输肾（马尔皮基）小管、重吸收性后肠和内吞性肾细胞。肾小管包含多种细胞类型和区域，通过跨细胞转运而不是过滤产生初级尿液，然后在后肠中进行选择性重吸收。相比之下，肾细胞专门用于摄取大分子，并配备有类似于足细胞的过滤狭缝隔膜。许多在人类肾脏中发挥关键作用的基因都具有黑腹果蝇直向同源物，这些基因在果蝇肾组织中富集且具有功能相关性。这种相似性使得我们能够对上皮运输、肾结石形成以及足细胞和近端小管功能进行研究。此外，一系列独特的定量表型可用于测量野生型和疾病模型果蝇的功能。