Desquamation of urinary bladder epithelial cells.

Desquamation of urothelial cells is brought about by various specific inductions. Moderate stress in mouse female adults induced by constant illumination for 96 hours results in desquamation of superficial and intermediate cells. Application of endotoxin LPS involves desquamation of single cells as well as whole sheets of cells from the underlying lamina propria. Cell detachment involves interruption of tight junctions between neighbouring cells, reorganisation of intermediate filaments and concentration of different vacuoles or multivesicular bodies. These results clearly demonstrate the involvement of specific adhesion mechanisms during detachment and desquamation of uroepithelial cells.