Pannexins are glycoproteins that form large diameter transmembrane channels through which ATP is released into the extracellular environment. In this way, they are involved in purinergic paracrine communication between cells and play an important role in various physiological and pathological processes. Diabetic nephropathy is the most common cause of chronic renal failure, and its pathophysiology is still not fully understood. A growing number of recent studies point to the role of direct communication between cell and paracrine ATP in the pathophysiology of DN. In this study, glomerular and tubular expression of Panx1 in patients with type 2 diabetes and control groups and its correlation with serum creatinine as an indicator of renal function were investigated. A significant positive correlation was found between glomerular Panx1 expression and serum creatinine, which was pronounced in the subgroup of patients with diabetes and was not found in isolation in the group without diabetes. Our data suggest that glomerular Panx1 expression is a potential indicator of worsening renal function in patients with type 2 diabetes. In the absence of published data on the role of Panx1 in kidney development, the expression of Panx1 at different stages of embryonic and early fetal development was also investigated. At week 6 of embryonic development, Panx1 expression was found in mesonephric glomeruli and mesonephric tubules. At the transition from the 6th to the 7th week of embryonic development, Panx1 immunoreactivity was found in the mesonephric tubules and the mesonephric duct, as well as in the metanephric ureteric bud and ampullae. At week 7 of embryonic development, strong Panx1 expression was observed in the ureteric bud in the metanephros, whereas no Panx1 immunoreactivity was found in the metanephric cup. At week 8 of embryonic development, Panx1 expression was also detected in the ureteric bud in the metanephros as well as in the renal vesicle and comma-shaped nephron and in the epithelial cells of Bowman's capsule. Expression of Panx1 was found in the paramesonephric duct and mesonephric duct in the early phase and it diminished toward the 8th week. In the 6th to 10th week, colocalization of Panx1 with aSMA was detected in developing blood vessels. In the postnatal kidney, strong Panx1 immunoreactivity was present in medullary and cortical collecting duct cells, renin-producing cells, and proximal tubules. Very weak Panx1 immunoreactivity was found in certain distal tubule cells and in the descending thin limbs of the loop of Henle. Panx1 immunoreactivity was also found in podocytes (labelled with nephrin). Panx1 was not colocalized with aSMA immunoreactivity in postnatal human kidney vessels but was present in the endothelium. The spatiotemporal expression of Panx1 at early stages of human kidney development argues for its possible role in the processes of cell differentiation, migration, and positioning in human kidney development.