AJP - Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, Vol 261, Issue 1 117-R125, Copyright © 1991 by American Physiological Society
Effect of water restriction during growth and adulthood on kidney morphology of bobwhite quail
D. L. Goldstein and C. C. Ellis
Department of Biological Sciences, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio 45435.
We raised bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus) either with unrestricted
water (HYD birds) or with restricted water (DEH birds). DEH quail grew more
slowly and reached lower adult body mass. Despite this, kidney mass was not
different in the two groups. The number of nephrons per kidney,
heterogeneity of glomerular sizes, number of medullary cones per kidney,
and lengths of medullary cones (equivalent to the lengths of the longest
loops of Henle) did not differ between HYD and DEH quail. However, the mass
of an individual medullary cone was greater in the DEH birds; this included
both hypertrophy and hyperplasia of the epithelia in thick ascending limbs
of Henle and hypertrophy without hyperplasia in the collecting ducts. We
found no differences among groups in the sizes of tubule cross sections
from cortical nephron segments (proximal tubules). Water restriction of HYD
birds for 5 days as adults stimulated tubule hypertrophy but not to the
same extent as the chronic regimen and with no evidence for hyperplasia.
DEH quail given unrestricted water as adults maintained elevated drinking
rates for the full week water was available; this rehydration had no effect
on sizes of tubule epithelia.
