Figure 6. Structural relation of ridge-like prominence and foot processes.

(a) Luminal surface view of podocytes shows primary and foot processes. Cross sections at the sites indicated by arrows (Sec. b, c, d) are shown in (b, c, d), respectively. (b) Podocytes adhere to the glomerular basement membrane with their foot processes. (c, d) The basal portion of primary process form the ridge-like prominence, and the primary process adheres to the glomerular basement membrane via the ridge-like prominence (RLP). The foot processes also protrude from the primary process via the ridge-like prominence. F, foot process; GBM, glomerular basement membrane; P, primary process.