Ureter growth and differentiation.

•The mammalian ureter is a slender tube that conveys the urine from the renal pelvis to the bladder.•Smooth muscle cells and fibroblasts surround a specialized epithelium in this tube.•They arise from undifferentiated precursor tissues, the distal ureteric bud and its surrounding mesenchyme.•Tissue interactions guide development of the ureter and its junctions.•Signaling pathways and transcription factors in these programs have been identified.