Small intestine villus, light micrograph

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SS2321172

SK8354

Small intestine villus, fluorescent light micrograph. Fluorescent dyes have been used to highlight cellular structures and proteins: brush border (green), cell nuclei (blue), g-actin (red). Villi are the functional structures lining the walls of the intestines. Microvilli are small structures covering the surface of a villus, forming what is known as a brush border. Microvilli absorb nutrients from digested food. Actin is a protein that is a major part of a cell's cytoskeleton, and one of its forms is globular actin (g-actin). The cell nuclei seen here are part of the columnar epithelium that forms the shape of a villus.

Roger J. Bick & Brian J. Poindexter / UT-Houston Medical School / Science Source