Mouse kidney

Confocal micrograph of part of a mouse kidney. Optical slices were taken at various depths through a fluorescently stained piece of kidney tissue (total depth 12 micrometres). A 3D image was reconstructed from these images and the colours adjusted to display a rainbow colour depth map. Different depths in the sample are visualised with different colours (red, orange, yellow, green, blue from top to bottom). Kidneys are vital organs which filter the blood and make urine. The glomerulus (larger structure; middle left) and tubules are visible. The glomerulus is a cluster of capillaries through which blood is filtered. It sits in the Bowman's capsule at one end of the nephron. Horizontal width of image is 200 micrometres.