Fruit Fly Salivary Gland

All creatures secrete proteins vital to life. Researchers at NIH's National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research study fruit fly glands (like the one shown here) and the cellular packets known as secretory granules (red) which store proteins destined for secretion. This work may help scientists better understand how secretion goes wrong, and how it might be treated in conditions such as salivary gland disorders.