Image Description
Basal cells contain high molecular weight cytokeratin - an intermediate filament protein in the cytoplasm - which can be detected by several antibodies including 34bE12 (shown here), CK5/6, and CK14). Note the triangular profiles of many of the basal cells as they rest on the basement membrane wedged between acinar epithelial cells. Basal cells are absent in prostate cancer - a feature that is exploited in the evaluation of small foci suspicious for cancer.