(A) The filtration surface consists of the endothelium, which is interrupted by fenestrae; the GBM; and the epithelial foot processes. The latter are attached to one another at their base by slit diaphragms. Note that the endothelial fenestrae are open and the GBM is directly exposed to the blood plasma. The GBM consists of 3 layers: the lamina densa and 2 lighter regions known as the lamina rara interna and lamina rara externa on either side. The lamina densa is composed of a fine (~3-nm) filamentous meshwork, which also extends across the lamina rara from the lamina densa to the endothelium and foot processes of the epithelium. Magnification, ×50,000. Figure reproduced with permission from Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (20). (B) Glomerular capillary wall cut in grazing section. In this EM view, the endothelial fenestrae (F) appear as open portholes, and the 3 layers of the GBM are cut broadly. The fine fibrils of the lamina densa meshwork extend across the lamina rara externa to the base of the podocytes’ foot processes (fp, short arrow), and larger (10-nm) fibrils (long arrows) are located between the endothelium and GBM. The epithelial (Ep) filtration slits (FS) are also cut in grazing section, and the slit membranes are not detectable in this plane of section. Magnification, ×40,000. US, urinary space. Figure reproduced with permission from Plenum Press (21).