Epithelia Flashcards
What is the function of epithelia?
Protects, filters, secretes, absorbs and excretes
Where is epithelia found?
Covers body surface (e.g. skin) and hollow organs, cavities and ducts. It also forms the glands of the body
How are the cells of an epithelium held together?
by a variety of cell junctions
How can epithelia be arranged?
In continuous sheets as single or multiple layers
What are epithelia separated from and how are they separated? What does this make them?
Epithelia are separated from all other tissues (they are just above connective tissue)
They are separated by a basement membrane (BM)
This makes them avascular
What is the function of BM (besides separating epithelia from connective tissue?) Give a practical example of BM’s function
Supports the overlain epithelium, provides a surface along which epithelial cells migrate during growth and wound healing and acts as a physical barrier (e.g. with melanoma, if it is above BM then chance of survival is 95-100%, once it gets below it, e.g. into blood stream, survival drops quickly the deeper it is)
Epithelia are avascular, what does this mean? Do they have nerves? How do they get nutrients?
Epithelia cells don’t have any capillaries within cells, they do have nerves
Diffusion from vessels in connective tissue
What are cytoskeleton made of? What do they do within the cell?
Microfilaments (Actin): bundles beneath cell membrane and cytoplasm, gives cell strength, alters cell shape and ties cells together Intermediate filaments (Keratin): thicker than actin therefore gives cells more strength and helps move material through cytoplasm
What are the names of the different junctions?
Tight junctions, Adherens junction, Desmosome, Hemidesmosome, Gap junction
What are the three surface of a cell called? What are their relative locations to each other?
Apical (top exposed surface), lateral (side where the cells are touching each other) and basal (surface of contact with BM)
What is the function of the tight junction?
Maintains the cell polarity seperate from the neighbouring cells
How do the tight junctions keep the cells polarity seperate?
It is electrically tight (e.g. no ions can pass through gap in cell therefore control electrolyte balance on either side) and prevent migration of proteins between apical and basal surfaces surface
What else do tight junctions do other than create a ion barrier? what two proteins are particularly important in all of its roles?
Join cytoskeletons of adjacent cells together, Claudins and Occludins
What is the function of adherens junctions?
Holds two adjacent cells together by the microfilament (actin)
How do adherens junction perform their function?
Actin in the cell is attached onto plaque adhesion belts. These bond onto catenin (protein) through the cell membrane onto cadherins (another protein) which bridges the intercellular space connecting it to another cell via catenin–>plaque–>actin
What are the key proteins involved in tight junctions?
Claudins and Occludins
What is the function of the Desmosome? What forces does is this bonding good at resisting? Where can you find these bonds more often based on the forces it can resist?
Holds two adjacent cells together by the intermediate filaments (keratin) and is able to resist shearing forces so found a lot in muscles cells
How does the desmosome perform its function?
Similar to adherens junction, keratin is attached onto plaque in discrete connection points (stringy fibres attached onto discrete plaque pads instead of belt) which is then attached onto catenin which is joined through intercellular space by caderin etc.
What are the key proteins involved in the bonding of the cytoskeleton’s of neighbouring cells? What are their functions
Catenin (bind plaque onto cell membrane) and Cadherins (bind cell membranes together)