The thin segment is a part of the renal tubule found between the
proximal and
distal tubules
The distal convoluted tubule (DCT) is a portion of kidney nephron between the loop of Henle and the collecting tubule.
Physiology
It is partly responsible for the regulation of potassium, sodium, calcium, and pH.
On its apical surface (lu ...
. The renal tubule and the
renal corpuscle
A renal corpuscle (or Malpighian body) is the blood-filtering component of the nephron of the kidney. It consists of a glomerulus - a tuft of capillaries composed of endothelial cells - and a glomerular capsule known as Bowman's capsule.
Str ...
together comprise the
nephron
The nephron is the minute or microscopic structural and functional unit of the kidney. It is composed of a renal corpuscle and a renal tubule. The renal corpuscle consists of a tuft of capillaries called a glomerulus and a cup-shaped structu ...
.
The thin segment is described as a U-shaped band, consisting of the two continuous parts:
*
descending limb of loop of Henle
*
ascending limb of loop of Henle
Histology
Both limbs of the loop of Henle are lined with the
simple squamous epithelium
A simple squamous epithelium, also known as pavement epithelium and tessellated epithelium, is a single layer of flattened, polygonal cells in contact with the basal lamina (one of the two layers of the basement membrane) of the epithelium. This ...
. Their main function is to regulate the levels of
water
Water is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance. It is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known liv ...
and solutes in the primary
urine
Urine is a liquid by-product of metabolism in humans and many other animals. In placental mammals, urine flows from the Kidney (vertebrates), kidneys through the ureters to the urinary bladder and exits the urethra through the penile meatus (mal ...
. The
basement membrane
The basement membrane, also known as base membrane, is a thin, pliable sheet-like type of extracellular matrix that provides cell and tissue support and acts as a platform for complex signalling. The basement membrane sits between epithelial tis ...
of the thin limb in humans has very uniform nodular thickenings that form a network that surrounds the tubule and acts as a support structure that is homologous to the collenchyma in
plant
Plants are the eukaryotes that form the Kingdom (biology), kingdom Plantae; they are predominantly Photosynthesis, photosynthetic. This means that they obtain their energy from sunlight, using chloroplasts derived from endosymbiosis with c ...
s. Smith, RA et al. (Arch Pathol Lab Med Vol 108, May 1984) have designated these nodules "Belliveau Bodies" after Robert Belliveau the pathologist who originally described these structures.
University of Illinois College of Medicine
/ref>
See also
*List of distinct cell types in the adult human body
The list of human cell types provides an enumeration and description of the various specialized cells found within the human body, highlighting their distinct functions, characteristics, and contributions to overall physiological processes. Cell ...
*List of human cell types derived from the germ layers
This is a list of Cell (biology), cells in humans derived from the three embryonic germ layers – ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm.
Cells derived from ectoderm
Surface ectoderm Skin
* Trichocyte (human), Trichocyte
* Keratinocyte
Anterior pi ...
References
Kidney anatomy
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