Biomaterial Database

Ultrastructure of the kidney of a South American caecilian, Typhlonectes compressicaudus (Amphibia, Gymnophiona). II. Distal tubule, connecting tubule, collecting duct and Wolffian duct. 1988

T Sakai, and R Billo, and W Kriz

Anatomisches Institut, Universität Heidelberg, Federal Republic of Germany.

The ultrastructure of the distal nephron, the collecting duct and the Wolffian duct was studied in a South American caecilian, Typhlonectes compressicaudus (Amphibia, Gymnophiona) by transmission and scanning electron microscopy (TEM, SEM). The distal tubule (DT) is made up of one type of cell that has a well-developed membrane labyrinth established both by interdigitating processes and by interlocking ramifications. The processes contain large mitochondria, the ramifications do not. The tight junction is shallow and elongated by a meandering course. The connecting tubule (CNT) is composed of CNT cells proper and intercalated cells, both of which are cuboidal in shape. The CNT cells are characterized by many lateral interlocking folds. The intercalated cells have a dark cytoplasm densely filled with mitochondria. Their apical cell membrane is typically amplified by microplicae beneath which a layer of globular particles (studs) is found. The collecting duct (CD) is composed of principal cells and intercalated cells, again both cuboidal in shape. The CD epithelium is characterized by dilated intercellular spaces, which are often filled with lateral microfolds projecting from adjacent principal cells. The apical membrane is covered by a prominent glycocalyx. The intercalated cells in the CD are similar to those in the CNT. The Wolffian duct (WD) has a tall pseudostratified epithelium established by WD cells proper, intercalated cells and basal cells. The WD cells contain irregular-shaped dense granules located beneath the apical cell membrane. The intercalated cells of the WD have a dark cytoplasm with many mitochondria; their nuclei display a dense chromatin pattern.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007668	Kidney	Body organ that filters blood for the secretion of URINE and that regulates ion concentrations.	Kidneys
D007684	Kidney Tubules	Long convoluted tubules in the nephrons. They collect filtrate from blood passing through the KIDNEY GLOMERULUS and process this filtrate into URINE. Each renal tubule consists of a BOWMAN CAPSULE; PROXIMAL KIDNEY TUBULE; LOOP OF HENLE; DISTAL KIDNEY TUBULE; and KIDNEY COLLECTING DUCT leading to the central cavity of the kidney (KIDNEY PELVIS) that connects to the URETER.	Kidney Tubule,Tubule, Kidney,Tubules, Kidney
D007686	Kidney Tubules, Distal	The portion of renal tubule that begins from the enlarged segment of the ascending limb of the LOOP OF HENLE. It reenters the KIDNEY CORTEX and forms the convoluted segments of the distal tubule.	Distal Kidney Tubule,Distal Renal Tubule,Distal Kidney Tubules,Distal Renal Tubules,Kidney Tubule, Distal,Renal Tubule, Distal,Renal Tubules, Distal,Tubule, Distal Kidney,Tubule, Distal Renal,Tubules, Distal Kidney,Tubules, Distal Renal
D008854	Microscopy, Electron	Microscopy using an electron beam, instead of light, to visualize the sample, thereby allowing much greater magnification. The interactions of ELECTRONS with specimens are used to provide information about the fine structure of that specimen. In TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY the reactions of the electrons that are transmitted through the specimen are imaged. In SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY an electron beam falls at a non-normal angle on the specimen and the image is derived from the reactions occurring above the plane of the specimen.	Electron Microscopy
D008855	Microscopy, Electron, Scanning	Microscopy in which the object is examined directly by an electron beam scanning the specimen point-by-point. The image is constructed by detecting the products of specimen interactions that are projected above the plane of the sample, such as backscattered electrons. Although SCANNING TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY also scans the specimen point by point with the electron beam, the image is constructed by detecting the electrons, or their interaction products that are transmitted through the sample plane, so that is a form of TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY.	Scanning Electron Microscopy,Electron Scanning Microscopy,Electron Microscopies, Scanning,Electron Microscopy, Scanning,Electron Scanning Microscopies,Microscopies, Electron Scanning,Microscopies, Scanning Electron,Microscopy, Electron Scanning,Microscopy, Scanning Electron,Scanning Electron Microscopies,Scanning Microscopies, Electron,Scanning Microscopy, Electron
D005260	Female		Females
D000663	Amphibians	VERTEBRATES belonging to the class amphibia such as frogs, toads, newts and salamanders that live in a semiaquatic environment.	Amphibia,Amphibian
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D014928	Wolffian Ducts	A pair of excretory ducts of the middle kidneys (MESONEPHROI) of an embryo, also called mesonephric ducts. In higher vertebrates, Wolffian ducts persist in the male forming VAS DEFERENS, but atrophy into vestigial structures in the female.	Gartner Ducts,Gartner's Ducts,Mesonephric Ducts,Wolffian Duct,Duct, Mesonephric,Duct, Wolffian,Ducts, Gartner,Ducts, Gartner's,Ducts, Mesonephric,Ducts, Wolffian,Gartners Ducts,Mesonephric Duct