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Updated: Jun 12, 2026

Expression of Transgenes in Native Bladder Urothelium Using Adenovirus-Mediated Transduction
Published on: October 6, 2022
Formation and maintenance of blood-urine barrier in urothelium
Mateja Erdani Kreft1, Samo Hudoklin, Kristijan Jezernik
1Institute of Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Lipiceva 2, SI-1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia. mateja.erdani@mf.uni-lj.si
Abstract:
Blood-urine barrier, which is formed during differentiation of superficial urothelial cells, is the tightest and most impermeable barrier in the body. In the urinary bladder, the barrier must accommodate large changes in the surface area during distensions and contractions of the organ. Tight junctions and unique apical plasma membrane of superficial urothelial cells play a critical role in the barrier maintenance. Alterations in the blood-urine barrier function accompany most of the urinary tract diseases. In this review, we discuss recent discoveries on the role of tight junctions, dynamics of Golgi apparatus and post-Golgi compartments, and intracellular membrane traffic during the biogenesis and maintenance of blood-urine barrier.
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