A gastric chief cell. A Langerhans cell in the skin. An Islet of Langerhans alpha cell. A capillary endothelial cell. Pinealocytes produce the hormone melanin.
Fat droplets accumulate in the pineal with age.
Hormone secretions from the pineal are directly transported to target cells in the hypophysis through a portal circulatory system. Calcifications in the pineal make it useful as a radiologic landmark for the brain midline. Because an endocrine cell's secretory activity can influence its affinity for histologic stains, some endocrine cells can only be distinguished with certainty by using more sophisticated techniques such as immunohistochemistry. An oxyphil cell. A pancreatic beta cell.