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Formation of

the urinary organs

Development of
the urinary
organs (3rd - 4th
week)
The development of the urinary system is
closely related to that of the genital
systemwhich will be described, though, in a
separate module. The urinary organs
consist of the kidneys (which produce
urine, among other things),
the ureter (transport of the urine from the
kidneys to the bladder),

the bladder (temporary storage for the

urine) and the urethra (transport of the
urine from the bladder to the external
world).
In all vertebrates the kidneys and ureters
develop out of the intermediate
mesoderm, whereas bladder and urethra
derive from the urogenital sinus.

Fig. 1
Schematic diagram: Transverse section (in
the midcephalic region) with a dorsal view of

the threelayered embryo towards the end of the 3rd

week of development. The intermediate
mesoderm lies between the somites (paraxial
mesoderm) and the lateral mesoderm (out of
which the coelom arises).
1.
Paraxial mesoderm
2.
Intermediate mesoderm
3.
Lateral mesoderm
4.
Notochord
5.
Amnion
6.
Intraembryonic coelom
7.
Endoderm
8.
Ectoderm
9.
Somatopleural (mesoderm and
ectoderm)
10. Splanchnopleural (mesoderm and
endoderm)
11. Neural groove
12. Neural ridge

Due to the lateral folding, the

intermediate mesoderm is shifted
ventrally and loses its connection with
the somites and the lateral mesoderm.

The nephrogenic cord develops out of

the intermediate mesoderm 9 and
extends from the cervical to the caudal
region. It becomes segmented like the
paraxial mesoderm (somites) (Fig. 1).
This segmentation is easily seen in the
cranial region, and is rudimentary in the
middle region. In the caudal region it isno
longer present, as we will describe in
detail below. Due to the growth of the
inner structures of the embryo, the tissue
lying most laterally is displaced ventrally.
This leads not only to a separation of
the nephrogenic cord from the paraxial
and lateral mesoderm, but also to a
coalescence of certain median structures
such as the two dorsal aortas 12 which
fuse to form the definitive (median) aorta.

Fig. 2
Transverse section of an embryo at the
beginning of the folding (ca. 28 days). In
this diagram the nephrogenic cord is clearly
distinguished in the intermediate
mesoderm. The black arrow indicates the
border between the paraxial and
intermediate mesoderm.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Neural tube
Amniotic cavity
Paraxial mesoderm
Intermediate mesoderm
Yolk sac (umbilical vesicle)

1.
Neural tube
2.
Amniotic cavity
3.
Dermatomyome
4.
Nephrogenic cord that has moved
away from the paraxial mesoderm
(somite) (black arrow)
5.
Yolk sac (umbilical vesicle)
6.
Notochord
7.
Aorta
8.
Intraembryonic coelom
Fig. 3, Fig. 4
The intermediate mesoderm moves
ventrally and loses its connection (black
arrow) to the somites and the lateral
mesoderm. Also observe its approach
towards the intraembryonic coelom.

20.4 Lower
urinary
system

Subdividing the cloaca

o

Separating the cloaca

The perineum and the urorectal
septum

Development of the bladder

Development of the male and female
urethra

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