Homeostatic Imbalance in Epithelial Ducts and Its Role in Carcinogenesis

Figure 1

Schematics of the IBCell polarized epithelium. An epithelially polarized cell contains three membrane domains: lateral (green) in contact with other cells in the epithelium, basal (yellow) in contact with the extracellular matrix (ECM), and lateral (cyan) in contact with the lumen. These membrane domains in IBCell are composed of corresponding boundary points (receptors). IBCell contains also growth (blue) and death (grey) receptors. Colors of cell nuclei: viable cells (purple) and dying cells (red). Inset: a graphical representation of a polarized cell and its three different membrane domains.