Cell secretion involves the study of glands as well as the study of the cytoplasmic structures involved in producing and directing the outflow of the material to be secreted.

Both aspects are included in this lab. We will first examine the morphology of glands and then secretory differences based on staining and on modes of cellular secretion. This will lead in to the study of membranes and membranous organelles involved in cellular secretion and other aspects of cellular metabolism.

Here's what you need to get from this lab.

• Understand that glands are composed mostly of epithelial cell aggregates clustered together to perform specific secretory and/or excretory functions and that there are two main types of glands: exocrine and endocrine.
• Distinguish the basic differences between the parenchyma and stroma of a gland.
• Understand that exocrine glands can be classified according to four features: the secretory portion’s shape (alveolar vs. tubular), the duct system (simple vs. compound), the nature of the secretion (serous vs. mucous), and the mode of cell secretion (merocrine, apocrine, or holocrine).
• Understand how the cell membrane is “connected” to a system of membranous organelles in the cytoplasm and how synthesis of material in the cell relates to the various modes of cell secretion.

So, where do these glands come from and what makes them up?