Epithelial Tissue🖐🏻 Flashcards
What are the 4 main tissues in the body?
-Muscle
-Connective
-Epithelium
-Nervous
What structural arrangement do epithelial tissues have?
Diverse Structural Arrangement depending on the location and the function of the tissue.
What functional features are common to ALL epithelial tissues?
-They are LINING tissues;
Line and cover all of our internal and external body surfaces.
Line all internal tubules and cavities e.g. in digestive system, cardiovascular system and respiratory system.
-They have a barrier function;
All Substances entering and leaving our body pass through epithelium.
Continuous boundary between different environments
Give examples of how ‘all substances entering and leaving our body pass through epithelium’ in epithelial tissue’s barrier function?
Digestive System;
-Once the food we consume is broken down by our digestive system, in order for our cells to access and use these nutrients and minerals, they must first be absorbed across the epithelium that lines our intestine and then enters our blood.
Respiratory System;
-In our lungs, O2 and CO2 must pass across the epithelial lining of our lungs and into blood or vice versa.
-In order for all these nutrients and oxygen to be utilised by our cells, must be able to cross through the epithelial lining of our blood vessels to reach our cells. Or vice versa
Expand on this role in epithelial tissue’s barrier function; ‘Forms a continuous boundary between different environments’
- In particular, they form a barrier to microbial invasion
- This is evident and important in sites such as our oral cavity and our gut.
- Both of these sites are heavily colonised by microbes and the only barrier to prevent these microbes gaining entry into our internal organs are the epithelial tissues that line these sites.
How are ALL epithelia arranged?
As continuous sheets of tightly bound cells
What is the structure (continuous sheets of tightly bound cells) of all epithelia important for?
-Enabling the tissues to perform the barrier function
What structures permeate epithelial tissue layers?
NO STRUCTURES permeate epithelial tissue, including blood vessels (avascular)
Why do no structures permeate epithelial tissue?
Because if there was, it would have a negative impact on the barrier function of these tissues, it would weaken the tissue layer.
What do the continuous sheets of tightly bound cells of epithelia provide?
- Protection against microbial Invasion so they cannot gain access to underlying tissues.
-Opportunity to regulate movement of substances from one bodily compartment to another.
What is the term given to the cells of Epithelial Tissue?
Polarised
What does polarised mean?
Refers to the fact that each of the different surfaces of the epithelial cell has different features or functions
What is the apical Surface of Epithelial Tissue?
Adjacent to or facing the lumen/ external surface. The side of the cells that faces towards or is the top layer of the cell.
What is the basal Surface of epithelial Tissue?
Adjacent to or facing the interior surface. (The bottom surface)
What is the Lateral Surface of Epithelial Tissue and what are they like in ET?
-Lateral- Sides
-Lateral surfaces are in direct contact with one another and are tightly adhered to each other.
The Lateral Sides of epithelial cells being tightly bound together ensures what?
Microbes and other substances cannot pass through gaps between cells and must pass through the cells to gain access to underlying tissues.
What feature of epithelial tissue in particular supports the ‘barrier function’?
The lateral surfaces of epithelial cells being tightly adhered to each other.
What do tight junctions do?
-Create an impermeable seal between adjacent cells- so there’s no space between the cell membranes of the two adjacent cells
-Prevents water passage and passage of other microbes/ substances.
What do tight junctions do?
-Create an impermeable seal between adjacent cells- so there’s no space between the cell membranes of the two adjacent cells
-Prevents water passage and passage of other microbes/ substances.
What are desmosomes and what do they do?
-Strong Junctions
-Composed of a variety of different protein molecules that can connect the cell membranes of adjacent cells to the cytoskeleton.
-Provide Strength to the tissue
-Ensures epithelial tissues can stretch and maintain contact
What are desmosomes and what do they do?
-Strong Junctions
-Composed of a variety of different protein molecules that can connect the cell membranes of adjacent cells to the cytoskeleton.
-Provide Strength to the tissue
-Ensures epithelial tissues can stretch and maintain contact
What are cell junctions and name two present in epithelial tissue?
-A class of cellular structures consisting of protein complexes that provide contact/adhesion between neighbouring cells and tissues.
-Desmosomes and tight Junctions
Recap the Structural Features common to all epithelial Tissues
-Continuous sheets of cells
-Cells are bound together (via cell junctions)
-Cells are polarised
Recap the functional features common to all epithelial tissues
-Cover and line all internal and external surfaces
-Form a barrier
Name 4 functions of SPECIFIC epithelial tissues and the location of these tissues
-Physical protection from mechanical abrasion
Skin and oral cavity
-Diffusion of gases, nutrients and waste between blood and surrounding tissues
Lungs, blood capillaries
-Absorption of nutrients
Gastrointestinal tract/renal tubules
-Secretion of sweat, mucus, enzymes, hormones
Glands and ducts
How are epithelial tissues Classified?
According to their structure
In what 3 ways can epithelial structure differ?
- Shape of Cells
- Number of Cell Layers
- Apical Specialisations
What are the 3 typical cell shapes that compose epithelial tissues and what do they look like?
-Squamous- thin, flat, scale like- width>height
-Cuboidal- roughly same width and height, resemble cube
-Columnar- taller than width, resemble column
What will the shape of the cells that make up the epithelial tissue reflect on?
The functional activity of that tissue
What functions will squamous- shaped cells facilitate?
-Passive Diffusion of substances through epithelial layer.
Where are squamous shaped cells most typically to be found? Give examples
In tissues where passive diffusion is the main function of that tissue.
Examples include;
-Lungs
-Lining of blood vessels
What cell shape(s) is/are the most metabolically active?
So these/ this cell(s) what?
-Columnar and cuboidal cells are more metabolically active compared to squamous cells
-These cells will contain more cellular organelles to reflect the additional cellular functions that these cells perform
Cuboidal and Columnar shaped cells will compose epithelial tissues that are involved in what functions?
-Absorption
-Secretion
What name is given to epithelial tissue composed of a single layer of cells?
SIMPLE epithelium
What is the name given ti epithelial tissue composed of two or more layers of cells?
STRATIFIED epithelium
Classification of epithelial Tissues by shape and number of layers table:
Insert table
What 2 types of epithelia do not conform with the typical classification system?
-Pseudostratified - layer numbers
-Transitional - Shape
Describe Pseudostratified Epithelia
-Columnar as the cell shapes do resemble columnar shaped epithelia.
- Whereas in true columnar Epithelium, all the nuclei are located towards the basal layer of the tissue, but in pseudo stratified E.T the nuclei are all at different heights.
-At first glance it can look like its made up of more than one cell layer but is only a single layer, hence the name ‘pseudostratified’
What is the specialised Structure of Pseudostratified epithelia?
-Cilia at apical surface
-Pseudostratified epithelia always has cilia on its apical surface
Describe Transitional Epithelia.
-Stratified
-Cells within epithelia are not all one shape
What does transitional epithelia support?
Organs where stretch and recoil are important such as;
-Bladder
What does transitional epithelia support?
Organs where stretch and recoil are important such as;
-Bladder