A Renal Countercurrent System in Marine Elasmobranch Fish: A Computer-Assisted Reconstruction

Computer-aided techniques were used to reconstruct the complex renal tubular system in the dorsal kidney region of a marine elasmobranch fish, the little skate (Raja erinacea), from a series of light micrographs of serial sections. It was established that five individual segments of one nephron, con...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 1985-03, Vol.227 (4692), p.1351-1354
Main Authors: Lacy, Eric R., Reale, Enrico, Schlusselberg, Daniel S., Smith, Wade K., Woodward, Donald J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anatomy
Animal anatomy
Animals
Biological and medical sciences
Biological transport
Capillaries
Cartilaginous fishes
Chondrichthyes
Computers
Fishes - physiology
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Graphics
Kidney - physiology
Kidney tubules
Kidney Tubules - physiology
Kidneys
Mammals - physiology
Marine
Marine fishes
Nephrons
Nephrons - physiology
Raja erinacea
Renal tubular transport
Renal tubule
Sea water
Sinuses
Urine
Vertebrates: urinary system
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Computer-aided techniques were used to reconstruct the complex renal tubular system in the dorsal kidney region of a marine elasmobranch fish, the little skate (Raja erinacea), from a series of light micrographs of serial sections. It was established that five individual segments of one nephron, consisting of two loops and a distal tubule, are arranged in parallel within an elongated closed tissue sac. Capillaries, which form a network around these nephron segments, enter and exit this sac at the same end. This anatomical arrangement suggests that a complex renal countercurrent multiplier system may be important in fluid regulation in these fish.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.3975620