Mineralocorticoid Action in the Aldosterone Sensitive Distal Nephron
The kidney of vertebrates plays a major role in the homeostasis of the extracellular fluid. Despite large changes in water and salt intake, the kidney is able to maintain the…
Natriuretic Hormones
Hormones which enhance sodium excretion, i.e., natriuretic peptide hormones, are very important for the maintenance of extracellu/lar fluid volume within a narrow range, despite wide variations in dietary sodium intake….
Glomerular Cell Biology
The glomerulus or renal corpuscle is comprised of the glomerular tuft surrounded by Bowman’s capsule and space. The tuft is a specialized microvascular bed which contains three cell types including…
Pathophysiology of Sodium Retention and Wastage
Extracellular fluid (ECF) volume is determined by the balance between sodium intake and renal excretion of sodium. Under normal circumstances, wide variations in salt intake lead to parallel changes in…
Function of the Juxtaglomerular Apparatus: Control of Glomerular Hemodynamics and Renin Secretion
More than a century ago, Golgi observed that “the ascending limb of the loop of Henle returns with invariable constancy to its capsule of origin”. At this point of contact…
Neural Control of Renal Function
One of the first observations of a potential neural control of kidney function was made by Claude Bernard in the middle of the 19th century, who reported a unilateral diuresis…
Inherited Disorders of Renal Salt Homeostasis: Insights from Molecular Genetics Studies
Many of the mediators and regulators of renal salt reabsorption have been identified from physiologic studies. The manner in which these individual elements function in the context of integrated physiology…
Sodium Chloride Transport in the Loop of Henle, Distal Convoluted Tubule, and Collecting Duct
In this chapter we review the transport of ions by the loop of Henle, distal convoluted tubule, the connecting tubule, and the collecting duct. We will place special emphasis on…
Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms of Kidney Development
Kidney development begins with interactions between the ureteric bud, an epithelial outgrowth of the Wolffian duct, and the surrounding metanephric mesenchyme. These mutually inductive interactions results in formation of the…
Stem Cells and Generation of New Cells in the Adult Kidney
The idea that the kidney is an organ needs to be tempered by the realization that it is the nephron that is the organ. Each nephron, as far as we…
