title: Cell biology of ureter development.
abstract: The mammalian ureter contains two main cell types: a multilayered water-tight epithelium called the urothelium, surrounded by smooth muscle layers that, by generating proximal to distal peristaltic waves, pump urine from the renal pelvis toward the urinary bladder. Here, we review the cellular mechanisms involved in the development of these tissues, and the molecules that control the process. We consider the relevance of these biologic findings for understanding the pathogenesis of human ureter malformations.
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedicine, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre and Manchester Children's Hospital, Michael Smith Building, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK. adrian.woolf@manchester.ac.uk
authors.forename: Adrian S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Woolf
authors.forename: Jamie A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Davies
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D006801:Humans; D009130:Muscle, Smooth / Q000196:embryology / Q000502:physiology; D014513:Ureter / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology* / Q000502:physiology; D014564:Urogenital Abnormalities / Q000235:genetics; D019459:Urothelium / Q000196:embryology*