Epithelia Flashcards
What is epithelia?
Thin layer of tissue that lines body and surfaces.
What does epithelia seperate?
Internal and external environments of the body
What are examples of where there is epithelia?
Skin
Intestinal tract
Nephrons of the kidneys/urinary tract
Respiratory tract
Reproductive tract
Regions of the eye and auditory system
Salivary glands
Pancreas/Bile duct
What does epithelia control?
Controls the exchange of material between the body and the environment
What makes epithelia capable of pectoral fluid and electrolyte transport?
because epithelia is polarised/its asymmetrical cells
Both structural and functional asymmetry
How is secretion and absorption modified in epithelia?
Via channels and transporters
What hollow organs does epithelia define the composition of luminal fluid of?
Reproductive tract, respiratory tract, intestinal tract, kidney nephron, oviduct, vas deferens, salivary secretion etc
How is the function of epithelia varied?
The fucntion of epithelia is altered by a variation in the membrane proteins they express - if they change their protein expression they can change their role e.g.m from absorptive to secretory
What is the name of the two membranes of epithelia cells?
Apical and basolateral membrane
What is the transcellular pathway?
Pathway through the cell, passing through both the apical membrane and basolateral membrane.
Pathway facilitated by carrier proteins.
What is the paracellular pathway?
Pathway across an epithelium by passing through the intercellular space between the cells.
Pathway through tight junctions.
What is the apical membrane?
Membrane facing the outside world (facing the lumen / outside of the organ).
What is the basolateral membrane?
Membrane facing the internal body (interstitial fluid)
What is serosal and mucosal?
Mucous membranes line the digestive, respiratory, urinary, and reproductive tracts. They are coated with mucous gland secretions. Outer.
Serous membranes line body cavities closed to the exterior of the body: the pericardial, peritoneal and pleural cavities. Inner.
What is the two types of epithelia?
Absorptive or Secretory
What are the two types of absorptive epithelia?
Leaky and tight
What is absorption of absorptive epithelia driven by?
The active transport of Na+
What is the active transport of Na+ maintained by?
Maintained by Na/K-ATPase
Where is absorptive epithelia?
Intestine and Nephron
What direction is the absorption of absorptive epithelia?
From mucosal to serosal solution (lumen to blood)
What direction is the secretion of secretory epithelia?
From serosal to mucosal solution
Where is secretory epithelia?
Intestine, salivary glands, pancreas, sweat glands
What is secretion of secretary epithelia driven by?
Active transport of Cl-
What type of permeability does the apical membrane have?
Selective permeability
What determines the transport properties of the apical membrane epithelium?
The channels/transprters expressed
What does apical membrane epithelium not contain?
Does not contain Na+,K+-ATPase or other housekeeping transporters
What type of proteins does the basolateral membranes have?
“House keeping proteins” that maintain basic cell function
What basic cell function does the Na+/K+-ATPase maintain?
Maintains RMP/ion gradients
What basic cell function does the Ca2+-ATPase and Na+/Ca2+ exchanger maintain?
cell signalling
What basic cell function does the Na+/H+ exchanger maintain?
pH regulation
What basic cell function does the K+ channels maintain?
RMP due to high K+ permeability relative to Na+ / Cl-
What basic cell function do aquaporins maintain?
High water permability
What are the two proteins in basolateral membranes that support absorptive/secretory role of cell types?
NKCC
GLUT
What does the NKCC do?
Uptake Cl- for secretion
Moves Cl-, Na+ and K+ into the cell from interstitital fluid on basolateral membrane.
What does the GLUT do?
It is a glucose transporter and functions for glucose absorption
How does the transport of leaky absorptive epithelia and tight absorptive epithelia differ?
Leaky has bulk transepithelia transport whereas, tight have limited transepithelia transport (because it is controlled).