Water transport occurs in all biological membranes .
The biochemical and molecular characteristics of water channel pathways are not known at present. Established and new methods to measure Pf and Pd in kidney tubules and in isolated membrane vesicles from kidney cells are reviewed and evaluated. In the mammalian proximal tubule , a high Pf results from transcellular movement of water across highly permeable apical and basolateral membranes containing water channels. In the thin and thick ascending limbs, Pf is nearly the lowest of all biological membranes and is not subject to regulation. In contrast, collecting tubule Pf is subject to hormonal regulation by vasopressin .