NEPHRON – ANATOMY and PHYSIOLOGY Key
-Read pp. 305 – 313
1. Name the three main regions of a kidney starting
from the outermost layer and working your way
inward.
A)
Renal Cortex
B) Renal Medulla
C)Renal Pelvis
2. After the renal pyramids collect urine and deliver it
to the renal pelvis the urine then flows out of the
kidney through what tube? URETER
3. Approximately how many nephrons are found in a
single kidney?
_____ > One Million
4. During glomerular filtration, list four substances
that are filterable and pass through into the lumen of
the nephron (p. 309)
Glucose, Amino Acids, Salts, Water, Urea, other
Nitrogenous Wastes
5. During glomerular filtration, list two substances
that are too large to pass into the lumen of the
nephron. (p. 309)
Formed Elements (Erythrocytes, Leukocytes,
Platelets) along with plasma proteins
6. Put the following structures in the correct order in
which blood would encounter them. (Renal Venule,
Glomerulus, Afferent Arteriole, Renal Artery, Renal
Vein, Efferent Arteriole, Peritubular Capillary
Network)
Renal Artery  Afferent Arteriole  Glomerulus 
Efferent Arteriole  Peritubular Capillary Network
 Renal Venule  Renal Vein
7. As plasma from the blood passes into the nephron, it
will travel along the nephron structures but in what
order will the plasma (glomerular filtrate) encounter
these structures. Place the structures in their correct
order by which plasma would pass through them.
(Bowman’s Capsule – AKA : Glomerular Capsule,
Distal Convoluted Tubule, Ascending Limb of Loop of
Henle, Proximal Convoluted Tubule, Collecting Duct,
Descending Limb of Loop of Henle)
Bowman’s Capsule  Proximal Convoluted Tubule 
Descending Limb Of Loop Of Henle  Ascending
Limb of Loop of Henle  Distal Convoluted Tubule
 Collecting Duct.
8. For each structure, state the function:
A) Podocytes (cells) lining inside of Bowman’s
Capsule, they have with long cytoplasmic extensions
that form pores around the glomerulus:
FUNCTION: Pores for entry of filtrate during
pressure filtration.
B) Cuboidal epithelial cells of the proximal convoluted
tubule, each of which contain many microvilli and
many mitochondria.
Function: Tubular Reabsorption requires increased
surface area = (microvilli). Active transport requires
large amounts of ATP = (mitochondria)
C) Simple Squamous epithelial cells lining the inside of
descending limb of the loop of Henle.
Function: Thinnest layer of cells to allow Osmosis of
H2O
D) The Ascending Limb of the loop of Henle.
Function: Impermeable to H2O but uses ATP to pump
out Na+ ions.
E) Cell lining the distal convoluted tubule, contain
many mitochondria.
Function: Tubular Secretion requires ATP for active
transport of other key wastes.
9. For each process listed below,
1. Name the urine formation process.
2. Name the location that process takes place.
A) Hydrogen ions (H+) creatinine, penicillin, other
drugs are moved via active transport from the blood
into the nephron.
1.Tubular Secretion
2. Distal Convoluted Tubule
B) When the majority of plasma with its dissolved
contents (some of which are good molecules some of
which are bad waste molecules) leave the blood stream
and enter the nephron.
1. Pressure (Glomerular) Filtration
2. Glomerulus  Bowman’s (Glomerular) Capsule
C) Active transport of about 70% of sodium back into
the blood stream, chloride ions follow passively.
1. Tubular Reabsorption
2. Proximal Convoluted Tubule
D) The active transport of almost 100% of nutrients
like glucose and amino acids back into the blood.
1. Tubular Reabsorption
2. Proximal Convoluted Tubule
E) When salt (NaCl) passively diffuses out of the
nephron at the bottom of this structure but then active
transport finishes off the passing out of salt into the
inner medulla.
1. Water/Salt Reabsorption 2. Ascending Limb
10. If the bloodstream did not reabsorb much of the
water and key nutrients back from the original
glomerular filtrate that originally passed into the
Bowman’s capsule (glomerular capsule), how much
urine would the average person put out each day? (p.
309 – see table 16.1 or third paragraph under
“Glomerular Filtration”)
180 liters.
11. List each place along the nephron where active
transport (ATP) would be required.
1. Proximal Convoluted Tubule
2. Ascending Limb of L.O.H.
3. Distal Convoluted Tubule
12. Describe what is meant by an “osmotic gradient”
of the tissues of the renal medulla, and where is this
solute coming from. (p. 310)
As you travel deeper toward the renal medulla, tissues
become increasingly hypertonic. The concentrations
of NaCl and Urea becoming stronger. This increases
the osmotic pressure on the water of the filtrate as it
passes down. The NaCl mostly comes from the
Ascending Limb while Urea mostly comes from the
collecting duct.
13. What is the full name of ADH? Antidiuretic
Hormone
14. Where is this hormone produced and released
from?
It is produced in the Hypothalamus and stored and
released from the Posterior Lobe of the Pituitary
Gland.
15. What percent of salt is reabsorbed back into the
blood? (p. 311) 99%
16. Salt is reabsorbed mostly at what two parts of
the neprhon?
A) Proximal Convoluted Tubule : 67%
B) Ascending Limb of L.O.H: 25%
17. Where is Aldosterone produced?
It is produced and released from the Adrenal Cortex
of the Adrenal Gland.
18. What does Aldosterone do, how does it do it, and
what part of nephron does it target?
Aldosterone causes an increase in Blood Pressure. This
is accomplished by causing the cells of the distal
convoluted tubule to actively transport more Na+ ions
back into the blood, as a result water will follow.
19. Explain why/how the consumption of each, causes
increased diuresis.
A)
ALCOHOL : Alcohol inhibits the ADH
secretion and ADH attachment so that Collecting
Duct becomes fairly impermeable to letting water
out.
B)
CAFFEINE : It decreases Tubular
Reabsorption of Na+ at the Proximal Convoluted
Tubule. More salt and water stay behind in the
urine.
20. How does exhaling actually play a role in helping
raise pH of the blood? (p. 313)
As you breathe you get rid of CO2, this causes the
following reaction to move to the right taking away
Hydrogen ions:
H+ + HCO3-   H2CO3   H2O + CO2
21. Describe what affect each of the following would
have on blood pH?
A) If less bicarbonate ions are reabsorbed pH will go
down with less HCO3- to mop up H+ ions, the acidity
will go up which means pH drops.
B) If more H+ ions are excreted due to tubular
secretion, pH will.
With less H+ ions in the blood pH will go up as the
blood becomes more alkaline.
22. Name each structure/region
1. Renal Pyramid
2. Collecting Duct
3.Renal Artery
4. Renal Vein
5. Ureter
6. Renal Medulla
Region
7. Renal Cortex
Region
http://www.biologie.uni-hamburg.de/bonline/library/falk/Excretion/excretionquiz.htm
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