Review article: The molecular era of bladder research. Transgenic mice as experimental tools in the study of outlet obstruction.

PURPOSE: To review the crucial role of transgenic mice as experimental tools in the study of outlet obstruction.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed the literature for studies that have used mice as models for outlet obstruction.
RESULTS: The combination of genetic manipulations and cellular physiology defines state-of-the-art experiments that explore the reciprocal mesenchymal-epithelial interactions that regulate bladder cell mechanisms.
CONCLUSIONS: The use of transgenic mice in bladder research has provided important data with respect to the molecular signals that drive bladder development, homeostasis, and the response to injury.