What structural feature forms bile canaliculi between adjacent hepatocytes?

What structural feature forms bile canaliculi between adjacent hepatocytes?

• A. Tight junctions between apical membranes of hepatocytes
• B. Desmosomes between hepatocytes
• C. Gap junctions between cholangiocytes
• D. Adherens junctions between hepatocytes

Answer: (A)

Bile canaliculi form where the apical membranes of neighboring hepatocytes meet due to tight junctions, which seal the lumen between cells and create a small, continuous bile-containing space. This apical tight-junction barrier defines the canalicular network and keeps bile from leaking into the intercellular space as it’s secreted. Other junctions serve different roles: desmosomes and adherens junctions provide mechanical adhesion at the basolateral surfaces, while gap junctions enable direct cytoplasmic communication between cells but do not create a sealed lumen. Cholangiocytes line the bile ducts, not the canaliculi.

Bile canaliculi form where the apical membranes of neighboring hepatocytes meet due to tight junctions, which seal the lumen between cells and create a small, continuous bile-containing space. This apical tight-junction barrier defines the canalicular network and keeps bile from leaking into the intercellular space as it’s secreted. Other junctions serve different roles: desmosomes and adherens junctions provide mechanical adhesion at the basolateral surfaces, while gap junctions enable direct cytoplasmic communication between cells but do not create a sealed lumen. Cholangiocytes line the bile ducts, not the canaliculi.