Uriniferous tubule: structural and functional organization

The uriniferous tubule is divided into the proximal tubule, the intermediate (thin) tubule, the distal tubule and the collecting duct. The present chapter is based on the chapters by Maunsbach and Christensen on the proximal tubule, and by Kaissling and Kriz on the distal tubule and collecting duct in the 1992 edition of the Handbook of Physiology, Renal Physiology. It describes the fine structure (light and electron microscopy) of the entire mammalian uriniferous tubule, mainly in rats, mice, and rabbits. The structural data are complemented by recent data on the location of the major transport- and transport-regulating proteins, revealed by morphological means(immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, and/or mRNA in situ hybridization). The structural differences along the uriniferous tubule strictly coincide with the distribution of the major luminal and basolateral transport proteins and receptors and both together provide the basis for the subdivision of the uriniferous tubule into functional subunits. Data on structural adaptation to defined functional changes in vivo and to genetical alterations of specified proteins involved in transepithelial transport importantly deepen our comprehension of the correlation of structure and function in the kidney, of the role of each segment or cell type in the overall renal function,and our understanding of renal pathophysiology.