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Pancreatic acini [ Back ]
The circled structure is an acinus, as portrayed in the illustration in the lab guide. Notice that the nuclei are located near the outer edge, and the cytoplasm is basophilic in this region. Is this region the basal or apical portion of the cells? Remember, the basal portion of epithelia lies against the underlying connective tissue, separated by the basal lamina, and the apical portion lies towards the lumen. What organelles are responsible for the basophilia? What is responsible for the acidophilia in the centers of the acini? Remember what these cells are producing. Take a look at the acinus just below and to the right of the one circled. The two nuclei in the center of it actually belong to the epithelium of the duct these cells are emptying into. |