In the prostate's tiny pockets, the tall fluid-making cells need support. Basal cells form a base layer underneath them.
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The prostate is a small gland in boys and men, just below the bladder. It is full of tiny hollow pockets.
Each pocket has two layers of cells. Tall luminal cells face the hollow middle. Small, flat basal cells sit underneath, around the outside, on a thin sheet.
Press Find the basal cells on the 3D model to light up the outer layer.
Basal cells don't make much fluid. Their job is to support the lining.
The fluid made in these pockets helps keep sperm cells healthy. Sperm cells carry half of the instructions (DNA) needed to make a baby.
Doctors who look at prostate tissue under a microscope check that the basal layer is there. It's one way they can tell the tissue is healthy.