Britannica AI Icon

Quick Summary

The nephrotome is a developmental structure in vertebrates that gives rise to the kidneys. These cellular plates connect somites to the mesodermal sheets lining the body cavity. In primitive vertebrates, each nephrotome forms a single tubule. However, in most vertebrates, adjacent nephrotomes fuse to form a larger mass that differentiates into multiple tubules, regardless of the original segmentation of the mesoderm.12

These tubules can develop into different types of kidneys at various stages of embryonic development:
* Pronephros: The most anterior and earliest functional kidney, found in fish and amphibian larvae.1
* Mesonephros: Develops later and functions as the kidney for adult fish and amphibians, as well as for embryos of reptiles, birds, and mammals.13
* Metanephros: The permanent kidney found only in reptiles, birds, and mammals, developing from the posterior part of the trunk.12

In some cases, the nephrotome tissue is influenced by outgrowths from the mesonephric duct, which form the ureter and collecting tubules of the metanephros.12

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.