The most distinctive characteristic of the proximal tubule is its brush border (or "striated border").

In intestinal cells, the microvilli are referred to as striated border, while in the kidneys, microvilli are referred to as brush border.

A brush border (or striated border or brush border membrane) is the name for the microvilli-covered surface of simple cuboidal epithelium and simple columnar epithelium cells found in certain locations of the body.