Abstract
The structure and function of the kidney are inextricably related, not only on a gross organ level but on a tissue, cellular, subcellular, and atomic level as well. On a tissue level, the looping shape of the nephron is a clue to its countercurrent function. On a cellular level, the elaborate shape of the proximal convoluted tubular cells provides an increased surface area and an elaborate labyrinth of extracellular spaces to facilitate active sodium reabsorption. Even on a subcellular level, the morphology of cell junctions explains the specific and varying permeabilities for the various nephron segments (Schwartz and Venkatachalam, 1974; Whittembury and Rawlins, 1971). Hence, exploitation of anatomical techniques becomes an important if not obligatory component of pathophysiological studies of the kidney.
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