Distal Tubule
DISTAL CONVOLUTED TUBULE At some distance after the macula densa, there is an abrupt transition from the low cuboidal cells of the TAL to the taller cuboidal cells of the…
Glomerulus: Electron Microscopy
The extraglomerular mesangial cells are continuous with and resemble normal mesangial cells. They are linked to the granular cells via gap junctions, and they share a basement membrane and interstitium…
Proximal Tubule
PROXIMAL TUBULE The proximal tubule receives urine from Bowman’s space. It plays a major role in the transport of material from the urine back into the blood (reabsorption) and vice…
Glomerulus Fine Structure
ADDITIONAL CELL TYPES The mesangial cells provide structural support to the glomerular capillaries. These cells are irregularly shaped and send long cytoplasmic processes between endothelial cells. They are similar to…
Glomerulus: Structure and Histology
The GBM lines the outer surface of the endothelial cells and is continuous with the basement membrane of Bowman’s capsule. It is synthesized by both endothelial cells and podocytes, and…
Overview of the Nephron
DISTAL CONVOLUTED TUBULE, CONNECTING TUBULE, AND COLLECTING DUCT The thick ascending limb, as described in the previous section, courses from the medulla toward the cortex, where it transitions to the…
Renal Microvasculature
The association of vasa recta with the loops of Henle and collecting ducts forms the anatomic substrate for the countercurrent exchange system, which is critical for the production of concentrated…
Innervation Pathways of the Ureter and Bladder
In contrast, afferent fibers conveying pain from organs without serosa (i.e., subperitoneal viscera, such as the neck of the bladder, terminal ureters, prostate, cervix, and upper vagina), as well as…
Lymphatics of Urinary System
SUMMARY The lymph drainage of the bladder and ureters passes to the external, internal, and common iliac groups of nodes—a sequential chain of nodes that drains next to the lumbar…
