Digestion Index

Build A Small Intestine

Digestion and absorption within the small intestine depends of the concerted activity of a large number of different molecules. Each of these "players" has a specific position: some are in the lumen, some in the apical (lumen-facing) plasma membrane and others in the basolateral plasma membrane of the epithelial cells. Use the game below to test your understanding of where and how these molecules do their thing. How to play: On the right side of the image below are 9 molecules necessary for normal small intestinal function (e.g. sodium-dependent transporters). In the cartoon of small intestinal cells on the left, notice the red and white "bullseyes" over different cellular components. Click your mouse on a molecule and drag it to its proper cellular location (your mousepointer turns into a hand when over a component or dragging it). When the handpointer is over a bullseye, release your mouse and the component will snap into place. After you've positioned all the components, click the "Grade Your Efforts" button to see how well you did. If you made mistakes, "Return To Action" and correct them until all are correct. NOTE: This program was written in Java 1.1 and will not work on older browsers (e.g. Netscape 3 or Internet Explorer 3) and definitely will not work with browsers that are not Java-enabled. It will work on recent versions of Netscape (Windows and Unix/Linux) and Internet Explorer. Java 1.1 support on the Macintosh (less than OS X) is mucked up and, consequently, this game will likely not work on most Macintoshes (sorry). Your Browser is not Java-enabled - this program will not be visible

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Last updated on January 24, 2001

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