Renal Proliferation in the Unilaterally Nephrectomized Rat

RENAL growth following unilateral nephrectomy has been referred to as ‘compensatory renal hypertrophy’ 1 . The work of Rollason emphasizes the importance of hyperplasia in this process 2 . Utilizing thymidine as a specific precursor of deoxyribomicleic acid (DNA), and assuming the constancy of DNA in the absence of dividing cells, the incorporation of thymidine serves as an index of cellular proliferation 3 . We now describe the effect of uninephrectomy on the incorporation of tritium-labelled thymidine into renal DNA.