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Related Concept Videos

Endocrine Signaling01:45

Endocrine Signaling

Endocrine cells produce hormones to communicate with remote target cells found in other organs. The hormone reaches these distant areas using the circulatory system. This exposes the whole organism to the hormone but only those cells expressing hormone receptors or target cells are affected. Thus, endocrine signaling induces slow responses from its target cells but these effects also last longer.
Endocrine Signaling01:45

Endocrine Signaling

Endocrine cells produce hormones to communicate with remote target cells found in other organs. The hormone reaches these distant areas using the circulatory system. This exposes the whole organism to the hormone but only those cells expressing hormone receptors or target cells are affected. Thus, endocrine signaling induces slow responses from its target cells but these effects also last longer.
Autocrine Signaling01:01

Autocrine Signaling

Autocrine signaling is one of the many signaling mechanisms that function inside multicellular organisms to carry out intercellular communication. In this type of signaling mechanism, the same cell that secretes an extracellular signaling molecule also expresses the receptors to bind and respond to that signaling molecule.
Autocrine Signaling in Macrophages
Under normal physiological conditions, autocrine signaling is essential for maintaining homeostasis. This process is well characterized in...
Autocrine Signaling01:01

Autocrine Signaling

Autocrine signaling is one of the many signaling mechanisms that function inside multicellular organisms to carry out intercellular communication. In this type of signaling mechanism, the same cell that secretes an extracellular signaling molecule also expresses the receptors to bind and respond to that signaling molecule.
Autocrine Signaling in Macrophages
Under normal physiological conditions, autocrine signaling is essential for maintaining homeostasis. This process is well characterized in...
Cell-surface Signaling01:21

Cell-surface Signaling

Hormones—or any molecule that binds to a receptor, known as a ligand—that are lipid-insoluble (water-soluble) are not able to diffuse across the cell membrane. In order to be able to affect a cell without entering it, these hormones bind to receptors on the cell membrane. When a first messenger, a hormone, binds to a receptor, a signal cascade is set off, causing second messengers, proteins inside the cell, to become activated, resulting in downstream effects.
Interactions Between Signaling Pathways01:19

Interactions Between Signaling Pathways

Signaling cascades usually lack linearity. Multiple pathways interact and regulate one another, allowing cells to integrate and respond to diverse environmental stimuli.
Convergence and divergence, and cross-talk between signaling pathways
Two distinct signaling pathways can converge on a single functional unit, which may either be a single protein or a complex of proteins. The response is either functionally distinct or synergistic between the two pathways but different from the response...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 12, 2026

Expression of Transgenes in Native Bladder Urothelium Using Adenovirus-Mediated Transduction
06:01

Expression of Transgenes in Native Bladder Urothelium Using Adenovirus-Mediated Transduction

Published on: October 6, 2022

Urothelial signaling.

Lori Birder1, Karl-Erik Andersson

  • 1Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, USA. lbirder@pitt.edu

Physiological Reviews
|April 17, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

The urothelium acts as a sensory barrier, detecting environmental changes and signaling nerves. This communication pathway is crucial for bladder function and can be targeted for therapeutic interventions.

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Published on: October 6, 2022

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Area of Science:

  • Urology
  • Cell Biology
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • The urothelium lines the urinary tract, serving as a barrier and sensory component.
  • Urothelial cells detect stimuli (chemical, mechanical, thermal) and release signaling molecules.
  • These cells express receptors and ion channels involved in urothelial-neuronal communication.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe the urothelium's specialized anatomy and communication mechanisms.
  • To discuss how bladder disorders alter the urothelium/lamina propria.
  • To explore the mucosa as a therapeutic target.

Main Methods:

  • Review of urothelial cell sensory functions.
  • Description of urothelial-neuronal interaction pathways.
  • Discussion of anatomical structures and signaling mechanisms.

Main Results:

  • Urothelial cells sense and respond to environmental stimuli.
  • Signal amplification occurs via lamina propria components and interstitial cells.
  • Communication pathways involve nerves, detrusor muscle cells, and the central nervous system.

Conclusions:

  • The urothelium is a critical sensory component of the urinary tract.
  • Understanding urothelial signaling is key to bladder function.
  • The urothelium/lamina propria represents a potential target for bladder disorder therapies.