(A) By light microscopy, necrotic cellular debris (seen by differential interference contrast [DIC]) binds to apically located Kim-1 (dark brown) of surviving tubule epithelial cells (large arrows). An apoptotic body is seen in 1 Kim-1–positive epithelial cell (small arrow). (B) By fluorescence microscopy many DAPI-positive (blue) apoptotic bodies (large arrows) can be seen binding to the surface of Kim-1–positive (red) epithelial cells, and Kim-1–expressing cells have processes (red, small arrow) internalizing an apoptotic body (blue). In addition, apoptotic bodies have been internalized by Kim-1–positive epithelial cells (blue, arrowhead). (C) Confocal image of apoptotic cells (blue) localized in phagocytic cups (small arrows) on the Kim-1–positive (red) apical surface of tubular cells. An internalized apoptotic cell is indicated by a large arrow. L denotes the tubule lumen. (D) The proportion of Kim-1–positive tubules containing internalized apoptotic bodies was greater than adjacent Kim-1–negative tubules in the postischemic kidney. Neither Kim-1 nor apoptotic bodies were identified in the normal kidneys. *P = 0.01 (error bars indicate SD). (E) Kim-1–positive epithelial cells (red) binding many TUNEL-positive apoptotic bodies (green, large arrows) and internalizing other small apoptotic bodies (green, small arrow). (F) Kim-1–positive epithelial cells (red, large arrows) are surrounded by CD68-positive macrophages (green, small arrows), which do not express Kim-1 and are found only in the interstitium. Scale bar: 10 μm.