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Marcello Polesel, PhD candidate (Institute of Anatomy, University of Zurich. Winterthurerstrasse 190 8057 Zürich, Switzerland)
Transmission electron micrograph of a transversal section of the first segment (S1) of mouse proximal tubule, depicting the complexity of this epithelium. The apical pole of the epithelium is rich in vesicles, found underneath brush-border extensions of the apical membrane. In a central plane, large vacuoles exhibit high heterogeneity in dimension and shape. The basolateral membrane of the cells shows deep membrane infolds wrapping around the numerous mitochondria found in the lower third. The picture clarifies why cell culture systems of proximal tubule are too simplistic and fail in modelling the function of these highly specialized epithelia in vivo. Development of innovative imaging techniques is a promising tool for researchers in the field towards a better understanding of unexplored aspects of kidney physiology. Little by little, technical progress is getting us closer to the correct alignment of the tiles composing our knowledge of renal function.