The definitions used in this glossary of terminology either have been provided by the authors of the articles, or have been extracted wholly or in part, or paraphrased from the following sources: The American Medical Association Encyclopedia of Medicine, Charles B. Clayman, MD, Medical Editor, Random House, New York, 1989; Biotechnology from A to Z, 2d Edition, William Bains, Oxford University Press, New York, New York, 2002; A Dictionary of Genetics, 6th Edition, Robert C. King and William D. Stansfield, Oxford University Press, New York, New York, 2002; Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary, 29th and 30th Editions, W. B. Saunders Company, Philadelphia, 2000, 2003; Genes VII, Benjamin Lewin, Oxford University Press, New York, New York, 2000; The Gale Encyclopedia of Genetic Disorders, Volumes I and II, Stacey L. Blachford, Ed., Thomson Learning, New York, New York, 2002; The Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Inc., Springfield, Massachusetts, 1997; Molecular Biology of the Cell, 3rd Edition, Bruce Alberts, et al., Garland Publishing, 1994; The Random House Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged Edition, 1966; Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, 1991.

DEFINITION:

tubule

A small tube.

arcuate renal tubule - A short, curved part of the distal end of the renal tubule (See below), extending from the distal convoluted tubule (See below) to the straight collecting tubule (See below). Called also junctional (connecting) tubule .

collecting tubule - A channel through which fluids pass from the secreting cells.

connecting tubule - Arcuate renal tubule (See above).

distal convoluted tubule - A distal, rolled-together or coiled part of the ascending limb of the renal tubule (See below), extending from the distal straight tubule (See below) to the junctional (connecting) tubule (See below).

distal straight tubule - Part of the renal tubule (See below) primarily on the ascending limb, extending from the thin tubule (See below) to the distal convoluted tubule (See above).

junctional (connecting) tubule - See arcuate renal tubule (above).

proximal convoluted tubule - The most proximal part of the renal tubule (See below), extending from the glomerular capsule to the proximal straight tubule (See below).

proximal straight tubule - Part of the descending limb of the renal tubule (See below), extending from the thin tubule (See below) to the distal convoluted tubule (See above).

renal collecting tubule - The arcuate renal tubule (See above), straight collecting tubule (See below), and papillary duct considered together. Called also collecting duct .

renal tubule - One of the minute, reabsorptive, secretory, and collecting canals, made up of basement membrane lined with epithelium, that form the substance of the kidneys. See also nephron .

straight collecting tubule - The lower straight part of the renal collecting tubule (See above), extending from the arcuate renal tubule (See above) to the papillary duct.

thin tubule - Part of the renal tubule (See above) at the lower end where the walls are especially thin; it extends from the proximal straight tubule (See above) to the distal straight tubule (See above). In juxtamedullary and deep cortical nephrons it makes up most of the length of Henle's loop.