The structure of the kidney of Japanese newts, Triturus (Cynops) pyrrhogaster.

Abstract

The construction of renal lobules in Triturus (Cynops) pyrrhogaster was studied by reconstruction from serial semithin sections, and the structure of nephrons, collecting ducts and ureters was investigated by means of light and electron microscopy. In T. pyrrhogaster the kidney was mesonephros in construction; renal lobules were arranged segmentally and each of them sent one ureter. Male ureters ran caudally and met together before joining the Wolffian duct. In renal lobules, long collecting ducts ran medio-laterally in the dorsal aspect of the kidney and sent several branches ventrally. Each branch duct or short collecting duct received one nephron. Each nephron had five segments; 1) renal corpuscle, 2) ciliated neck segment with or without a naphrostome, 3) proximal tubule, 4) ciliated intermediate segment and 5) distal tubule. Proximal and distal tubules were segregated spacially in renal lobules and occupied the peripheral and central zone respectively. The filtration barrier of the glomerulus consisted of both the basal lamina of podocytes and the subendothelial connective tissue, and was much thicker than the mammalian filtration barrier. Proximal tubule cells had a brush border, apical specialization for reabsorption of organic materials and well-developed smooth endoplasmic reticulum, but few baso-lateral interdigitations. In distal tubule cells, baso-lateral interdigitations and infoldings were well-developed. Collecting duct cells had a sparse cytoplasm. Ureter cells in males contained many secretory granules. On the basis of structural organization of the newt kidney as well as physiological data in literature, we suggest that in land vertebrates proximal tubules were primarily adapted to reabsorption of organic materials and distal tubules to reabsorption of electrolytes and water.