Homeostatic Imbalance in Epithelial Ducts and Its Role in Carcinogenesis

Figure 3

Irregular multicellular morphologies arising after disruption of certain epithelialpolarization signals. Upon dysregulation of one of more of basal, lateral, or apical signals, an individual cell may lose its ability to properly polarize that in turn may result in the emergence of irregular acinar morphologies. The altered signals are identified by a color on the inner circle: yellow-basal (ECM) signals; cyan-apical signals; green-lateral signals. The center picture shows schematics of a polarized cell with typical distribution of cell membrane receptors.