Next to each kidney filter is a tiny meeting spot where a tube and two blood vessels touch. A little cluster of cells sits right in the middle.
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Next to each kidney filter, three things meet: the blood vessel going in, the blood vessel going out, and a part of the kidney's tiny tube.
In the small space between them sits a cluster of extraglomerular mesangial cells. They are small and pale, with thin arms that link into a net.
These cells are also called lacis cells. Lacis means lace, because they look like a lacy net!
Scientists are still learning about these cells. Here is what they think:
Press Pass the message on the 3D model to see the signal travel through the cluster.
By Operation Ouch. A fun video for kids.
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