Urothelial signaling.
Beyond serving as a simple barrier, there is growing evidence that the urinary bladder urothelium exhibits specialized sensory properties and play a key role in the detection and transmission of both physiological and nociceptive stimuli. These urothelial cells exhibit the ability to sense changes in their extracellular environment including the ability to respond to chemical, mechanical and thermal stimuli that may communicate the state of the urothelial environment to the underlying nervous and muscular systems. Here, we review the specialized anatomy of the urothelium and speculate on possible communication mechanisms from urothelial cells to various cell types within the bladder wall.
Birder
Lori A
LA
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, A 1207 Scaife Hall, 3550 Terrace Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA. lbirder@pitt.edu
D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D010812:Physical Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D018048:Receptors, Purinergic P2 / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D050052:TRPC Cation Channels / Q000502:physiology; D001743:Urinary Bladder / Q000166:cytology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D019459:Urothelium / Q000502:physiology*
D018048:Receptors, Purinergic P2; D050052:TRPC Cation Channels; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate