Development of the metanephros in the chick: maturation of glomerular size and nephron length

In the avian kidney three nephron types may be identified: mammalian-type nephrons with long (MTN-I) and short (MTN-II) loops of Henlé, and reptilian-type nephrons (RTN). By the method of microdissection the maturation of the nephrons of domestic fowl kidney has been studied. From the 14th day of incubation it is possible to isolate the MTN-I which appear first; all three nephron types may be isolated after 18 days of incubation. The thin limb of Henlé's loop in MTN-I appears after hatching, and the length of this segment in 1-day-old chicks is 0.1-0.13 mm. In 60-day-old chicks its length has approximately doubled. The transition of the thin segment to the thick segment is situated in the descending part of Henlé's loop. In the course of development, the relative length of all nephron segments in MTN-I increases uniformly, while in MTN-II and in RTN the relative length of the proximal and distal convoluted tubules increases. At all stages of development, MTN-I are the longest among the three groups of nephrons and have the largest glomeruli. The comparison between developing avian and mammalian kidneys shows great similarities in the process of maturation in analogous nephron types in these two classes of vertebrates.