Research Article

An Update of the Interstitial Cell Compartment in the Normal Human Bladder

Figure 1

N-cadherin+ structures in the normal bladder wall. (a–d) A punctate signal for N-cadherin (green) reveals numerous positive N-cadherin+ cells within the bladder wall. (a) N-cadherin+ cells with multiple processes in the lamina propria. (b) Closely associated N-cadherin+ cells at the boundary of smooth muscle bundles. Note large size and stellate morphology. (c) N-cadherin+ cells running between smooth muscle fascicles show elongated instead of stellate morphology and reveal lateral branches (arrow) running into the muscle fascicles. (d) Intrafascicular, slender elongated N-cadherin+ branches run in parallel with the smooth muscle bundles. Magnification ×400. Uro: urothelium; Det: detrusor muscles.
464217.fig.001a
(a)
464217.fig.001b
(b)
464217.fig.001c
(c)
464217.fig.001d
(d)