Eosinophilic, basophilic, chromophobic and amphophilic staining

histology Histology, also known as microscopic anatomy or microanatomy, is the branch of biology which studies the microscopic anatomy of biological tissues. Histology is the microscopic counterpart to gross anatomy, which looks at larger structures vi ...

, a clear cell is a cell that shows a clear

cytoplasm In cell biology, the cytoplasm is all of the material within a eukaryotic cell, enclosed by the cell membrane, except for the cell nucleus. The material inside the nucleus and contained within the nuclear membrane is termed the nucleoplasm. ...

when stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E).

Normal histology

In the skin, some

secretory cell 440px Secretion is the movement of material from one point to another, such as a secreted chemical substance from a cell or gland. In contrast, excretion is the removal of certain substances or waste products from a cell or organism. The classica ...

s in the epithelium appear as clear cells, and are one of the components of eccrine sweat glands. A clear cell's plasma membrane is highly folded, more so on the apical and lateral surfaces. The cytoplasm of clear cells contains large amounts of glycogen and many mitochondria. Melanocytes appear as clear cells when in the

stratum basale The ''stratum basale'' (basal layer, sometimes referred to as ''stratum germinativum'') is the deepest layer of the five layers of the epidermis, the external covering of skin in mammals. The ''stratum basale'' is a single layer of columnar or ...

of the

skin Skin is the layer of usually soft, flexible outer tissue covering the body of a vertebrate animal, with three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation. Other animal coverings, such as the arthropod exoskeleton, have different de ...

, and Langerhans' cells appear as clear cells in the

stratum spinosum The stratum spinosum (or spinous layer/prickle cell layer) is a layer of the epidermis found between the stratum granulosum and stratum basale. This layer is composed of polyhedral keratinocytes. These are joined with desmosomes. Their spiny (La ...

. C cells, more commonly referred to as parafollicular cells are type of cell found in the thyroid gland which stain clear using H&E.

Clear cell cancers

Clear-cell adenocarcinoma Clear-cell adenocarcinoma is a type of adenocarcinoma that shows clear cells. Types include: * Clear-cell adenocarcinoma of the vagina * Clear-cell ovarian carcinoma * Uterine clear-cell carcinoma Uterine clear-cell carcinoma (CC) is a rare ...

s are adenocarcinomas that contain a preponderance of clear cells.

References

{{reflist Tissues (biology) Secretory cells