title: Radiation-induced damage to mouse urothelial barrier.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine changes of the urothelial barrier during the early as well as late radiation response in mouse urinary bladder.
  
  
  METHODS
  Groups of mice were irradiated with a single dose of 20Gy and sacrificed between days 0 and 360. Urothelial cell numbers were counted, and the fraction of urothelium with a positive immunohistochemical signal for uroplakin-III (UP-III) on the luminal surface of the bladder was defined. Also, cytoplasmic UP-III staining signal in urothelium was quantified using an arbitrary score (0-3).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Irradiation resulted in a significant decrease in the number of superficial umbrella cells during the early response phase (days 0-31) as well as during the initial late radiation reaction (days 90, 120). Progressive loss of the UP-III layer on the bladder luminal surface correlated with the decrease in the number of umbrella cells (p=0.002). Also, increased cytoplasmic staining of UP-III in the urothelium was seen after irradiation, correlating negatively with the reduction of the superficial UP-III layer (p<0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Irradiation of the urinary bladder results in morphological impairment of the urothelial barrier that is associated with a loss of superficial umbrella cells during the early as well as initial late radiation response phase.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus, University of Technology of Dresden, Germany. Jana.Jaal@kliinikum.ee <Jana.Jaal@kliinikum.ee>
authors.forename: Jana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jaal
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Dörr
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000528:radiation effects; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D011833:Radiation Injuries, Experimental / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D001743:Urinary Bladder / Q000378:metabolism / Q000528:radiation effects*; D001745:Urinary Bladder Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D060171:Uroplakin III; D019459:Urothelium / Q000378:metabolism / Q000528:radiation effects
chemical_list: D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; C554661:Upk3a protein, mouse; D060171:Uroplakin III