5-EPITHELIAL Flashcards
What are the principal functions of epithelial tissues?
- Covering, lining, and protecting surfaces (eg, skin)
- Absorption (eg, the intestines)
- Secretion (eg, the parenchymal cells of glands)
- Contractility (eg, myoepithelial cells).
What are the functions of epithelial cells?
- Protection – epidermis of the skin
- Absorption – epithelium of the small intestine
- Excretion – epithelium of the kidney
- Secretion – glandular epithelium
- Sensory reception - neuro-epithelium
- Lubrication – goblet cells and sebaceous glands
- Reproduction – lining epithelium of the seminiferous
tubules and germinal epithelium of the ovary - A few specialized epithelial cells are contractile
(myoepithelial cells).
CHARACTERISTICS OF EPITHELIAL CELL
- LAMINA PROPRIA
- PAPILLAE
- Basal pole
- Apical pole
- Lateral surfaces
serves to support the
epithelium
LAMINA PROPRIA
it provides nutrition and binds epithelia to underlying structures
LAMINA PROPRIA
a type of loose connective tissue that are found beneath the epithelium
LAMINA PROPRIA
small invagination’s or irregularities in the connective tissue surface that increases area of contact between the connective tissue and the epithelial tissue
PAPILLAE
region of the cell contacting the connective tissue
Basal pole
facing a space
Apical pole
regions that adjoin the adjacent cells
Lateral surfaces
a felt-like sheet of extracellular material in
the basal surface of epithelial cells
Basement membrane
Two structures of basement membrane
- BASAL LAMINA
- RETICULAR LAMINA
2 components of basal lamina
- Lamina Lucida
- Lamina Densa
network of fine fibrils
BASAL LAMINA
connected with the epithelium (appear light under EM)
LAMINA LUCIDA
nearer to the
underlying connective tissue
LAMINA DENSA
a more diffuse and fibrous layer
RETICULAR LAMINA
The macromolecular components of basal laminae
- LAMININ
- TYPE IV COLLAGEN
These are large glycoprotein molecules that self-assemble to form a lace-like sheet immediately below the cells’ basal poles where they are held in place by the transmembrane integrins.
Found in Lamina lucida
LAMININ
Monomers of _____ contain three polypeptide chains and self-assemble further to form a felt-like sheet associated with the laminin layer.
Found in Lamina densa
TYPE IV COLLAGEN
laminin and type IV collagen network are held
together by adhesive glycoprotein
________ and by ____ a
proteoglycan
ENTACTIN/NIDOGEN
PERLECAN
Diffuse meshwork of reticular laminae contains
Type III collagen
Type VII collagen
Functions of the basement membrane
- anchors the epithelium
- serves as a mechanical barrier (prevents malignant
cells from invading the deeper tissues - simple structural and filtering functions
- influence cell polarity
- regulate cell proliferation and differentiation by binding and concentrating growth factors
- influence cell metabolism and survival
- organize the proteins in the adjacent plasma
- membrane (affecting signal transduction)
- serve as pathways for cell migration
- the basal lamina seems to contain the information
necessary for many cell-to-cell interactions
is used to denote the lamina densa and its
adjacent layers and structures seen with the TEM.
“BASAL LAMINA
is used to denote the structures seen with the light microscope.
“BASEMENT MEMBRANE”
(INTERCELLULAR ADHESION AND OTHER JUNCTIONS)
Various junctions serve to function as:
- Seals to prevent the flow of materials between the
cells (occluding junctions)
- upper most part - Sites of adhesion (adhesive or anchoring junctions)
- interact with actin and intermediate
filaments
- function to provide mechanical stability - Channels for communication between adjacent
cells (gap junctions)
- diffusion of molecules
upper most part of the junction function
Seals to prevent the flow of materials between the
cells (occluding junctions)
Junctions that
- interact with actin and intermediate
filaments
- function to provide mechanical stability
Sites of adhesion (adhesive or anchoring junctions)
Junctions that are responsible for the - diffusion of molecules
Channels - for communication between adjacent cells
Four distinct zones in the epithelium
- ZONULA OCCLUDENS
- ZONULA ADHERENS (intermediate junction)
- MACULA ADHERENS (desmosomes)
- NEXUS (gap junction)
Zone
- important in transporting epithelium
- maintaining the structural integrity of
epithelium
ZONULA OCCLUDENS
Zone
- “terminal web”
- Serves as a site of insertion for the
contractile microfilaments that form the
core of the microvilli.
- Aid in contraction of microvilli
ZONULA ADHERENS (intermediate junction)
Zone
- Appears as dense dots or fusiform
thickening of the cells
- Site of attachment of the cytoskeleton to
the cell surface
MACULA ADHERENS (desmosomes)
Zone
- Sites of cell to cell adhesion
- In LM; entire structure is called “terminal
Bar”
MACULA ADHERENS (desmosomes)
Zone
- Concerned with cell to cell communication
- “communicating junction”
NEXUS (gap junction)
Zone
- Each membrane is studded with polygonal
projections (connexions)
- Adhesive function; area of low electrical
resistance, important in cell-to-cell communication for coordination of cellular
activities.
NEXUS (gap junction)
Zone
- Present in: between osteocytes, smooth
and cardiac muscles, neurons
- Absent in: skeletal muscle, blood
NEXUS (gap junction)
– Delicate vertical striations in a refractile border of columnar epithelium
– Prominent in cells whose principal function is absorption
Microvili
- Striated or Brush border– intestinal epithelium, epithelial tissues of the kidney
- Small finger-like processes
- Increase the efficiency of absorption
Microvili
– Long pyriform tuft of slender processes projecting into the lumen from each cell
– Found in lining epithelium of the epididymis and the proximal part of the ductus deferens
Stereocilia
– Promote absorption by amplifying cell surface like the microvilli
– Longer than microvilli and much less motile
– Basal infoldings- increases the surface area at the base of a cell promoting absorption like the microvilli
Stereocilia
– Larger than microvilli
– Function to propel fluid or coating of mucus towards the exterior
Cilia
non motile but enriched with receptors and signal transduction complexes
Primary cilium
found only in epithelia, abundant on the
apical surface of cuboidal or columnar cells
Motile cilia
Main Groups of Epithelia
- Covering (lining) epithelia
- Secretory (glandular) epithelia
Classification of Covering Epithelia
* number of cell layers
– Simple
– Pseudostratified
– Stratified
Classification of Covering Epithelia
* cell morphology
– Squamous
– Cuboidal
– Columnar
– transitional
- Very thin, flat cells
- Mosaic pattern
- Attenuated cytoplasm with central bulging nucleus
Simple Squamous Epithelium