File:Ureter.jpg

Urinary tract development and structure

(a) Early development of the urinary tract (fourth week of gestation in humans and E10.5 in mice). An epithelial diverticulum called the ureteric bud (UB) emanates from the Wolffian duct and grows into an adjacent group of mesenchymal cells (metanephric mesenchyme).

(b) Elongation of the ureter and formation of the kidney (metanephros) during development. The common nephric ducts shorten, expand, and integrate into the urogenital sinus (the future bladder) close to the region where the future bladder neck is located.

(c) Structure of mature urinary tract in human and mice. Urine flows from the renal pelvis in the kidney through the ureter to the bladder for storage and is eliminated to the outside through the urethra. The ureter is connected to the kidney at the ureteropelvic junction (UPJ) and is connected to the bladder at the ureterovesical junction (UVJ). Inside the bladder, two ureteric orifices and the internal urethral orifice form the trigone. The urethral sphincter complex includes the lissosphincter which is a continuation of the bladder smooth muscle and the rhabdosphincter which consists of striated muscle.

(d) Transverse section of the mature ureter depicts four layers of cells: urothelium, stromal cells, smooth muscle cells, and adventitial fibroblasts.

Reference

<pubmed>23408557</pubmed> Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Order Details Licensee: Mark A Hill License Date: Oct 15, 2014 License Number: 3490230833626 Publication: Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Systems Biology and Medicine Title: Lower urinary tract development and disease Type Of Use: Website Total: 0.00 USD

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