Renal Anatomy

Question 1

Major Calyces

Answer 1

Large funnel shaped structures that collect urine from minor calyces

Question 2

Minor Calyces

Answer 2

fit over pyramid tissue and receive urine from nephron

Question 3

Cortex

Answer 3

Tissue lies on top of medulla covers whole structure,

Both juxtmedullary and cortical nephrons located here

Question 4

Nephron (basic)

Answer 4

functional unit of the kidney made up of renal corpuscle and tubule. Kidney failure: when unviable nephrons reach critical level

Question 5

Renal Corpuscle

Answer 5

Consist of glomerulus and bowman’s capsule

Question 6

The Blood filtered into renal corpuscle

Answer 6

Filtrate

Question 7

Cortical nephrons

Answer 7

Shorter loop of henle, where majority of nephrons are. Located in cortex

Question 8

Juxtamedullary nephrons

Answer 8

Renal corpuscle located near medulla but still in cortex. Longer loop of henle

Question 9

Bowman’s capsule

Answer 9

Made up of epithelial cells. Fluid filled hollow ball-like structure that surrounds the glomerulus.

Question 10

Junction of late ascending loop of henle, passes in between afferent and efferent arteriole near renal corpuscle

Answer 10

Juxtaglomerular apparatus

Question 11

Specialized cells in late ascending loop of henle

Answer 11

Macula Densa

Question 12

Juxtaglomerular (granular) cells

Answer 12

specialized cells comprising wall of afferent arteriole

Question 13

Glomerulus

Answer 13

specialized structure of “leaky” or fenestrated capillaries, cells that make up capillaries are endothelium

Question 14

Glomerular capillary cells

Answer 14

have many pores (fenestrae), basically everything in blood except for red blood cells can filter out

Question 15

Cell layer that fuses visceral epithelium (bowman’s capsule) with the endothelium of glomerular capillaries

Answer 15

Basal Lamina or basement membrane

Question 16

Basal Lamina (made of /what it does)

Answer 16

made of collagens and negatively charged glycoproteins. Serves as rough sieve to filter and exclude most plasma proteins from entering Bowman’s capsule

Question 17

Podocytes

Answer 17

Third filtering component of renal corpuscle, long “foot like” processes that interlace with each other around glomerular capillaries.

Question 18

What molecules will easily pass through Bowman’s space

Answer 18

Ions (Na+, Cl-, K+, Ca2+) and glucose

Question 19

Major components of blood

Answer 19

Plasma, red and white blood cells

Question 20

Plasma

Answer 20

Mostly made of water, dissolved molecules such as proteins, glucose, ions (Na+, K+ etc.), hormones, CO2, O2, H+ and HCO3-

Question 21

Arterioles

Answer 21

Blood vessels that regulate blood flow by constricting or dilating due to smooth muscle content in their walls

Question 22

Capillaries

Answer 22

Smallest blood vessels (in diameter) also most numerous, highest cross sectional area and large surface area for exchange of material

Question 23

Blood flow in the Kidney

Answer 23

Renal artery–> afferent arteriole–> glomerular capillaries–> efferent arteriole–> peritubular capillaries (except juxtamedullary nephrons) –>Venule–> renal vein

Question 24

Peritubular capillaries

Answer 24

tiny blood vessels that travel alongside nephrons allowing reabsorption and secretion between blood and inner lumen of nephron

Question 25

Filtration

Answer 25

180L of plasma passes through kidney, 1.5L is excreted per day. Filtrarion occurs in renal corpuscle, movement of plasma and substances dissolved in plasma from glomerular capillaries into Bowman's space. Everything that filters into Bowman's space will be excreted as urine unless it is reabsorbed

Question 26

Reabsorption

Answer 26

moves substances from filtrate through tubule epithelial cells (transcellular reabsoprtion) or sometimes between epithelial cells (paracellular reabsorption). Membrane allows diffusion of small, non polar molecules such as O2 and CO2, require channels or pores for charged hydrophilic or large molecules like water or glucose

Question 27

Secretion

Answer 27

movement of selected additional molecules from blood through tubule epithelium to the filtrate in the nephron. Very selective process that requires use of channels or transporters to move molecules past basolateral and luminal membranes.

Question 28

Excretion

Answer 28

Filtrate that leaves nephron, made up of filtration, reabsorption and secretion Excretion= Filtration - Reabsorption + secretion