Figure 1.

The murine UUT is composed of the renal pelvis and ureter. Schematic (A) and whole-mount image (B) of the murine UUT. Urine produced by the kidney (k) flows from the terminal renal tubules present in the renal papilla (pa) into the UUT, which includes the funnel-shaped renal pelvis (p) and the ureter (u). The flared, proximal end of the renal pelvis joins the connective tissue core of the kidney at the PKJ (pkj). The distal, narrow end of the renal pelvis is continuous with the ureter. The water-impermeable epithelium and smooth muscle coat of the UUT facilitates the movement of urine, in a relatively unmodified form, from the kidney to the bladder.