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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 18, 2026

Isolating and Imaging Live, Intact Pacemaker Regions of Mouse Renal Pelvis by Vibratome Sectioning

Isolating and Imaging Live, Intact Pacemaker Regions of Mouse Renal Pelvis by Vibratome Sectioning

Published on: April 30, 2021

Pacemakers in the upper urinary tract.

Antonina Di Benedetto¹, Salvatore Arena, Piero Antonio Nicotina

¹Unit of Urology, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.

Neurourology and Urodynamics

|September 25, 2012

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Interstitial cells of Cajal-like cells (ICC-LCs) in the upper urinary tract (UUT) generate electrical activity crucial for urine propulsion. These pacemaker cells are vital for UUT motility and linked to congenital urological disorders.

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Area of Science:

Urology
Cell Biology
Physiology

Background:

Pacemaker cells in the upper urinary tract (UUT) are an area of ongoing research.
Understanding UUT function requires investigating the cells responsible for urine propulsion.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the role of specific cells involved in propelling urine from the UUT to the bladder.
To evaluate mechanisms of UUT urine propulsion mediated by pacemaker cells.

Main Methods:

Focused on evaluating studies concerning pacemaker cell mechanisms in the UUT.
Examined the role of interstitial cells of Cajal-like cells (ICC-LCs) and their association with c-kit antibodies.

Main Results:

Electric active pacemaker cells, specifically ICC-LCs, generate pyeloureteric autorhythmicity, driving smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and peristaltic activity.
ICCs amplify pacemaker activity in the UUT, producing electrical slow-wave potentials.
ICC-LCs in the UUT share morphological similarities with c-kit-positive cells in the gastrointestinal tract, suggesting a conserved role in motility.

Conclusions:

Alterations in ICC-LCs are linked to UUT motility disorders and congenital urological conditions like primary obstructive megaureter and vesicoureteral reflux.
These findings highlight ICC-LCs as critical for UUT peristalsis and suggest potential therapeutic targets for motility disorders.