Kidney Anatomy and Nephron Structure - Anatomy and Physiology
- Order these structures as urine drains from a renal papilla: renal pelvis, major calyx, ureter, minor calyx.
- Minor calyx, major calyx, renal pelvis, ureter.
- What are the two main parts of a nephron?
- The renal corpuscle (glomerulus plus glomerular capsule) and the renal tubule.
- Which cells of the juxtaglomerular apparatus secrete renin, and where are they located?
- Granular (juxtaglomerular) cells, modified smooth muscle cells in the wall of the afferent arteriole.
- Order these segments as filtrate leaves the glomerular capsule: DCT, nephron loop, collecting duct, PCT.
- PCT, nephron loop, DCT, then collecting duct. The collecting duct receives filtrate from many nephrons.
- What cells form the visceral layer of the glomerular capsule?
- Podocytes. Their foot processes wrap the glomerular capillaries and leave filtration slits between them.
- Where are the kidneys located relative to the peritoneum?
- Retroperitoneal: behind the parietal peritoneum, against the posterior abdominal wall.
- Which arteriole carries blood into the glomerulus, and which carries it out?
- The afferent arteriole carries blood in; the efferent arteriole carries it out.
- How do juxtamedullary nephrons differ structurally from cortical nephrons?
- Their glomeruli lie near the cortex-medulla junction and their nephron loops dip deep into the medulla; most nephrons are cortical with short loops.
- What capillaries arise from the efferent arterioles of juxtamedullary nephrons and run beside their long loops?
- The vasa recta. Efferent arterioles of cortical nephrons instead feed the peritubular capillaries.
- Which nephron segment has cells with a dense microvillus brush border?
- The proximal convoluted tubule. Its large surface area suits it for reabsorbing most of the filtrate.
- Which renal arteries lie between the interlobar arteries and the cortical radiate arteries?
- The arcuate arteries, which arch along the boundary between the cortex and the medulla.
- What are the two main regions of kidney tissue, from outer to inner?
- The renal cortex on the outside and the renal medulla inside, which is divided into cone-shaped renal pyramids.