File:Micro-architecture of liver conduit networks.webm

English: Micro-architechture of liver tissue conduit networks visualized in 3D. The top-left quadrant shows a composite 3D stack of the various conduit networks in the liver - bile canaliculi (yellow), sinusoids (magenta) and bile ducts (cyan). The other quadrants show each of these structures independently. Bile canaliculi are lumens formed by tight junctions along the apical membrane of hepatocytes, and mediate bile flux. The canaliculi transport bile to the bile duct network. Multiple bile ducts eventually join to form a single large duct that exits the liver. Blood is perfused into the liver through the sinusoidal network, which interfaces on the basolateral membrane of hepatocytes. As blood passes through the liver, hepatocytes filter it, and release drugs, xenobiotics and toxins into the canaliculi along with bile. The images were generated using and immunofluorescence confocal laser scanning Z-stack acquisition of a mouse liver section. Bile canaliculi are marked by a fluorescently labelled antibody against the apical membrane protein DPP4. Similarly, bile ducts are marked by antibody against cholangiocyte-specific secondary filament KRT19, and sinusoids are marked by aspecific immunoglobulin staining by antibody IgG domains. Each antibody is labelled with a spectrally distinct fluorophore. The dimensions of each quadrant are - X: 254 µm, Y:, 254 µm, Z: 76 µm . The optical resolution of the image is x, y ,z: 220 nm , 220 nm , 540 nm