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Meaning of polarised in " The acinar cell's cytoplasm is also visibly polarised..."?

I don't understand the concept of cell polarity.
I have attached below where I got it from. This is the part I don't get: "The acinar cell's cytoplasm is also visibly polarized, usually with basophilic basal cytoplasm and variously-staining secretory granules concentrated in apical cytoplasm. "
2.PNG
I understand that an epithelial cell has an apical surface and a basal surface and two lateral sides but do not know what it has to do with cell polarity. Don't really understand cell polarity.

Could someone please help?
Reply 1
Avatar for ennui.
ennui.
11
Original post by Kalabamboo
I don't understand the concept of cell polarity.
I have attached below where I got it from. This is the part I don't get: "The acinar cell's cytoplasm is also visibly polarized, usually with basophilic basal cytoplasm and variously-staining secretory granules concentrated in apical cytoplasm. "
2.PNG
I understand that an epithelial cell has an apical surface and a basal surface and two lateral sides but do not know what it has to do with cell polarity. Don't really understand cell polarity.

Could someone please help?

Polarity refers to differences in the cytoplasm. So the cytoplasm has differences within the cell. These differences are a result of a concentration of granules in the apical(tip of the cell).

Let me know if you have any more questions.
The reason we care about differentiating between apical and basal membranes is because they are different - the same goes for the inside of the cell. In this case, the part of the cytoplasm by the basal membrane (the basal cytoplasm) is basophilic and the part of the cytoplasm by the apical membrane (the apical cytoplasm) is less so - therefore these parts are different. If a cell has different characteristics between its apical and basal parts, it has polarity.
Reply 3
Avatar for Kalabamboo
Kalabamboo
OP
14
Original post by ennui.
Polarity refers to differences in the cytoplasm. So the cytoplasm has differences within the cell. These differences are a result of a concentration of granules in the apical(tip of the cell).

Let me know if you have any more questions.

Thanks a lot!! :biggrin:
Reply 4
Avatar for Kalabamboo
Kalabamboo
OP
14
Original post by TheVirtualPhoton
The reason we care about differentiating between apical and basal membranes is because they are different - the same goes for the inside of the cell. In this case, the part of the cytoplasm by the basal membrane (the basal cytoplasm) is basophilic and the part of the cytoplasm by the apical membrane (the apical cytoplasm) is less so - therefore these parts are different. If a cell has different characteristics between its apical and basal parts, it has polarity.

Thanks a lot!! :biggrin:

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