The sites of synthesis and action of prostaglandins (PGs) along the renal tubule are examined. We focused our attention on experiments performed on well-defined nephron segments, using direct quantitative measurements of prostaglandin synthesis by radio- or enzyme-immunoassay. On the other hand, we selected, among the described effects of PGs, those obtained on precisely defined tubular segments. Among PGs, PGE2 synthesis is largely predominant all along the tubule. Its main sites of synthesis are the medullary collecting tubule and, to a lesser extent, the cortical collecting tubule and the thin limb of Henle's loop. Synthesis of PGE2 is amplified approximately tenfold in the presence of an excess exogenous substrate, arachidonic acid, compared with values measured without addition of substrate. Other eicosanoids have roughly the same distribution along the tubule as PGE2. Their rate of synthesis is, however, much less than that of PGE2, approximately 20-fold lower for PGF2 alpha and 6-keto-PGF1 alpha, and 100-fold lower for thromboxane B2 (TxB2). This contrasts with glomerular PG synthesis, where the difference between the production of PGE2 and other eicosanoids is much less marked. Most studies agree that antidiuretic hormone (ADH) and kinins augment PGE2 synthesis, whereas corticosteroids decrease it, at least in the collecting tubule. Direct effects of PGE2 have been described mainly in the medullary thick ascending limb and collecting tubule. They generally consist of a decrease in transepithelial potential difference and reabsorptive rates of water and solutes, in particular sodium and chloride. However, whatever the solute or tubular segment concerned, some studies failed to find such effects. The bulk of evidence suggests that ADH and PGs interact in kidney tubular cells. It is generally accepted that PGs antagonize the hydrosmotic effects of ADH in the collecting tubule. The mechanisms underlying these complex interactions are still under discussion: they probably involve several types of receptors and pathways for ADH action, which intervene in the modulation of both PG synthesis and cyclic nucleotides, and several types of PG receptors, either stimulatory or inhibitory to adenylate cyclase.