Kidney tubule, TEM (P550/0208) T-Shirt

Kidney tubule. Coloured transmission electron micrograph (TEM) of a section through a proximal convoluted tubule in the kidney. The proximal convoluted tubules function to reabsorb water, glucose and other small molecules from the filtrate, producing a concentrated urine. The tubules consist of a lumen (interior, white) lined with cuboidal epithelial cells (green). These cells are covered in many finger-like projections known as microvilli, which serve to increase the cells' surface area for reabsorption. The cells' nuclei (brown), which contain the cells' genetic information, are also seen. The reabsorbed molecules move into the interstitial fluid of the kidney and are absorbed back into the blood. The liquid in the tubules passes to th...