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Information about Juxtaglomerular Cell

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JG cells
In the kidney, the juxtaglomerular cells (JG cells, also known as granular cells) are cells that synthesize, store, and secrete the enzyme renin. They are specialized smooth muscle cells in the wall of the afferent arteriole that delivers blood to the glomerulus. In synthesizing renin, they play a critical role in the renin-angiotensin system and thus in renal autoregulation, the self-governance of the kidney.

In appropriately stained slides, juxtaglomerular cells are distinguished by their granulated cytoplasm.

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Urinary system - Kidney
LayersRenal fascia • Renal capsule • Renal cortex  (Renal column) • Renal medulla (Renal sinus, Renal pyramids) • Renal lobe • Cortical lobule • Medullary ray • Nephron
Afferent circulationRenal artery → Segmental arteries → Interlobar arteries → Arcuate arteries → Cortical radial arteries → Afferent arterioles → Renal corpuscle (Glomerulus, Bowman's capsule)
Renal tubuleProximal tubule → Loop of Henle (Descending, Thin ascending, Thick ascending) → Distal convoluted tubule → Connecting tubule → Collecting ducts → Duct of Bellini → Renal papilla → Minor calyx → Major calyx → Renal pelvis → Ureter
Efferent circulationGlomerulus → Efferent arterioles → Peritubular capillaries/Vasa recta → Arcuate vein → Interlobar veins → Renal vein
Juxtaglomerular apparatusMacula densa • Juxtaglomerular cells • Extraglomerular mesangial cells
FiltrationGlomerular basement membrane • Podocyte • Filtration slits • Intraglomerular mesangial cells
The kidneys are organs that filter wastes (such as urea) from the blood and excrete them, along with water, as urine. The medical field that studies the kidneys and diseases of the kidney is called nephrology[1].
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Renin (pronounced "Ree-nin" or "Rē-nin" (IPA: /ˈriːnɨn/)), also known as angiotensinogenase
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Smooth muscle is a type of non-striated muscle, found within the "walls" of hollow organs and elsewhere like the bladder and abdominal cavity, the uterus, male and female reproductive tracts, the gastrointestinal tract, the respiratory tract, the vasculature, the skin and the
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A nephron (from Greek νεφρός (nephros) meaning "kidney") is the basic structural and functional unit of the kidney. Its chief function is to regulate the concentration of water and soluble substances like sodium salts by filtering the blood,
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glomerulus is a capillary tuft surrounded by Bowman's capsule in nephrons of the vertebrate kidney. It receives its blood supply from an afferent arteriole of the renal circulation.
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For an autonomous region of Nicaragua, see .


The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) or the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) is a hormone system that helps regulate long-term blood pressure and extracellular volume in the body.
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Autoregulation is a specific form of homeostasis used to describe the tendency of the body to keep blood flow constant when blood pressure varies.[1].

While most systems of the body show some degree of autoregulation, it is most clearly observed in the kidney, the
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Boston University (BU) is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Although chartered by the Massachusetts Legislature in 1869, Boston University traces its roots to the establishment of the Newbury Biblical Institute in Newbury,
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eMedicine is an online clinical medical knowledge base that was founded in 1996 by Scott Plantz and Richard Lavely, two medical doctors. It was sold to WebMD in January 2006.
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The urinary system is the organ system that produces, stores, and eliminates urine. In humans it includes two kidneys, two ureters, the bladder, and the urethra. The analogous organ in invertebrates is the nephridium.
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The kidneys are organs that filter wastes (such as urea) from the blood and excrete them, along with water, as urine. The medical field that studies the kidneys and diseases of the kidney is called nephrology[1].
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renal fascia (also known as Gerota's fascia after the Romanian anatomist Dimitrie Gerota).

At the lateral border of the kidney the renal fascia splits into an anterior and a posterior layer.
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The renal capsule is a tough fibrous layer surrounding the kidney and covered in a thick layer of perinephric adipose tissue. It provides some protection from trauma and damage.
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The renal cortex is the outer portion of the kidney between the renal capsule and the renal medulla. In the adult, it forms a continuous smooth outer zone with a number of projections (cortical columns) that extend down between the pyramids.
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The renal column (or Bertin column, or column of Bertin) is a medullary extension of the renal cortex in between the renal pyramids. It allows the cortex to be better anchored.
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The renal medulla is the innermost part of the kidney. The renal medulla is split up into a number of sections, known as the renal pyramids. Blood enters into the kidney via the renal artery, which then splits up to form the arcuate arterioles.
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The renal sinus is a cavity within the kidney which is occupied by the renal pelvis, renal calyces, blood vessels, nerves and fat.

External links

  • Renal+sinus at eMedicine Dictionary


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Renal pyramids (or malpighian pyramids) are cone-shaped tissues of the kidney. The renal medulla is made up of 8 to 18 of these conical subdivisions. The broad base of each pyramid faces the renal cortex, and its apex, or papilla, points internally.
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The renal lobe is a portion of a kidney consisting of a renal pyramid and the renal cortex above it. [1]

It is visible without a microscope, though it is easier to see in humans than in animals.
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A cortical lobule (or renal lobule) is a part of a renal lobe. It consists of the nephrons grouped around a single medullary ray, and draining into a single collecting duct.
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The medullary ray is the middle part of the cortical lobule or renal lobule, consisting of a group of straight tubes to the collecting ducts.

Their name is potentially misleading -- the "medullary" refers to their destination, not their location.
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A nephron (from Greek νεφρός (nephros) meaning "kidney") is the basic structural and functional unit of the kidney. Its chief function is to regulate the concentration of water and soluble substances like sodium salts by filtering the blood,
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renal circulation receives around 20% of the cardiac output. It branches from the abdominal aorta and returns blood to the ascending vena cava. It is the blood supply to the kidney, and contains many specialized blood vessels.
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The renal arteries normally arise off the side of the abdominal aorta, immediately below the superior mesenteric artery, and supply the kidneys with blood. Each is directed across the crus of the diaphragm, so as to form nearly a right angle with the aorta.
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The segmental arteries are branches of the renal arteries.

There are five named segmental arteries:[1]
  • superior [2]
  • inferior [3]
  • anterior
  • anterior superior [4]

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The interlobar arteries are vessels of the renal circulation which supply the renal lobes.

External links

  • Physiology at MCG 7/7ch03/7ch03p10 - "Renal Vasculature: Efferent Arterioles & Peritubular Capillaries"
  • Histology at BU 15901lba

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The arcuate arteries of the kidney are vessels of the renal circulation. They are located at the border of the renal cortex and renal medulla.

External links

  • Description at umich.

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The first set of renal bloodvessels, the interlobular arteries (or cortical radiate arteries, or cortical radial arteries), are given off at right angles from the side of the arterial arcade looking toward the cortical substance, and pass directly outward between the
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The afferent arterioles are a group of blood vessels that supply the nephrons in many excretory systems.

The afferent arterioles branch from the renal artery which supplies blood to the kidneys.
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In the kidney, a renal corpuscle is the initial filtering component of a nephron. It consists of two structures:
  • a glomerulus, a small network of capillaries
  • a Bowman's capsule, a sac-like structure enclosing the glomerulus.

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