Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

Week 2 > Epithelial Tissues: Structure and Function > Flashcards

Epithelial Tissues: Structure and Function Flashcards

1
Q

what disease can have abnormal epithelial function? (4)

A

breast cancer, cystic fibrosis, cholera, atherosclerosis

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

breast cancer…

A

abnormal proliferation of epithelial cells (1 in 8 women)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

cystic fibrosis…

A

defective epithelial chloride ion transport (1 in 2500 live births)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

cholera…

A

enhanced activation of epithelial chloride ion transport in GI tract

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

atherosclerosis…

A

superficial injury to epithelial lining of blood vessels causing cardiovascular disease (40% of UK population will die as a result of associated complications with atherosclerosis)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

what is epithelia? (2)

A

cells that cover or line all of the body surfaces, tubes and cavities and they form the interfaces between different physiological fluid compartments

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

interfaces… (5)

A 
body tissue + environment = skin
blood + tissues = blood vessel wall
gut + tissues = gut wall
air + blood = lungs, alveoli
blood + brain = blood-brain barrier
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

what are the characteristics of epithelia? (3)

A

cells are in intimate contact and may be connected by tight junctions, epithelial cells are separated from underlying tissue by basement membrane (BM) and cells undergo rapid division to replace those continually lost from the surface

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

what are tumours developing from epithelial cells called?

A

carcinomas

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

what are the different shapes of the cells? (3)

A

columnar = apex next to lumen, base at basal part of cell
cuboidal
squamous

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

what colour are the cells stained? (2)

A

nucleus - blue, cytoplasm - pink

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

simple epithelia in cells… (2)

A

have one layer, all cells are in direct contact with lumen and BM

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

where are simple epithelia found? (3)

A

areas in the body where there is: diffusion, absorption, secretion

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

stratified epithelia in cells… (3)

A

multiple layers, have cells in contact with BM - basal, have cells in contact with lumen - apical

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

where are stratified epithelia found?

A

in sites where there is need for protection eg bladder, oesophagus, stomach

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

where are simple squamous cells found?

A

blood vessels

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

where are simple columnar cells found?

A

GI tract

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

where are simple cuboidal cells found?

A

kidney tubule

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

where are stratified squamous cells found?

A

skin

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

where are stratified cuboidal cells found?

A

reproductive system

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

where are pseudostratified columnar cells found?

A

respiratory

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

what are transitional cells?

A

layers of a mixture of different shapes of cells

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

where are transitional cells found?

A

bladder

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

what type of function have one layer of cells?

A

exchange, transported, ciliated

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
what shape are exchange cells?
squamous
26
what are features of exchange cells?
have pores between cells to allow passage of molecules
27
where are exchange cells found?
lung; blood vessels
28
what shape are transporting cells?
cuboidal or columnar
29
what are features of transporting cells?
tight junctions limit movement between cells
30
where are transporting cells found?
intestine; kidney
31
what shape are ciliated cells?
cuboidal or columnar
32
what are features of ciliated cells?
cilia move fluid across surface
33
where are ciliated cells found?
trachea; female reproductive tract
34
what type of function have many layers of cells?
protective, secretory
35
what shape are protective cells?
squamous on surface, polygonal in deeper layers
36
what are features of protective cells?
cells tightly connected by desmosomes
37
where are protective cells found?
skin, mouth
38
what shape are secretory cells?
columnar to polygonal
39
what are features of secretory cells?
extensive rough ER (proteins) or smooth ER (steroids)
40
features of single squamous epithelium... (5)
``` single layer of flattened cells cells are thin with central nucleus pavement-like appearance irregular shape no gaps between each other ```
41
what is the mesothelium?
single squamous epithelium lining body cavities (serous membranes)
42
what is endothelium?
single squamous epithelium lining blood vessels
43
what is the purpose of simple columnar epithelium in the lining of the small intestine? (2)
increase surface area for absorption | mucus secretion to lubricate gut contents
44
what are the 3 levels of folding to increase surface area?
1. large folds - visible to naked eye 2. microscopic villi - covered by a simple columnar epithelium 3. microvilli - modifications to apical surface of the epithelial cells, visible only using electron microscopes
45
what are the 3 surface modifications of simple columnar epithelium?
1. apical surface of each cell is covered by several hundreds of microvilli forming a brush border that mucus adheres to 2. goblet cells with intensely staining mucus released to lubricate gut content 3. BM that separates epithelial cells from underlying tissue
46
what stain is used to colour the mucus in the small intestine?
high power small intestine PAS stain for glycoprotein
47
what 3 cell types are in the pseudostratified columnar epithelium of the respiratory tract?
goblet cells, ciliated columnar cells, basal cell (rapid regeneration from below)
48
what is the name for flattened cells that are worn off and shed from the surface?
desquamation
49
why does stratified squamous epithelium line the oesophagus?
protects underlying tissue from abrasion
50
wet epithelium...
stratified squamous epithelium that is subject to abrasion but not dehydration eg vagina, anal canal, mouth
51
what is stratified squamous keratinised epithelium composed of? (low power)
starting at top - | epithelium, connective tissue, hair follicle, hypodermis adipose tissue, apocrine sweat gland
52
dry epithelium...
stratified squamous keratinised epithelium subject to abrasion that resists water loss eg skin
53
what is stratified squamous keratinised epithelium composed of? (high power)
starting at top - dead squamous cells containing keratin undergoing desquamation, epithelial cell, basal cell undergoing mitosis, connective tissue containing capillaries, melanocyte
54
what do transitional epithelial cells in the bladder have that means they prevent leakage of urine into the tissues?
a high number of tight junctions
55
where is the baso-lateral membrane found?
on the sides of cells, between the apical and basal membranes
56
what is the purpose of actin in epithelial cell junctions?
anchors cell keeping it where it is supposed to be
57
what is a hemidesmosome?
a membrane protein that anchors the cell to the BM
58
what is trans-cellular transport?
movement is in one direction eg absorption or secretion
59
what is paracellular movement?
transport in and out of the cell in different directions simultaneously
60
what are the 2 major tight junction proteins?
claudins and occludins
61
how many sealing strands does a urinary bladder have?
8 with a resistance (how easy to pass to other side) of 7000 (omega.cm squared)
62
what are the roles of tight junctions? (3)
barriers, fences, gates
63
barriers...
separate one compartment from another
64
fences...
maintain the asymmetric distribution of lipids and proteins in the apical and basal membranes eg sodium and potassium transport
65
gates...
allow some molecules to flow more easily than others ie not open or closed, just selective
66
tight junctions in epithelial cell layers... (2)
create barriers between different cell compartments and allow the processes of absorption and secretion to create compartments with different molecular compositions
67
what does pseudostratified mean?
only one cell layer present although there appear to be many, all the cells make contact with the underlying basement membrane but not all cells within the epithelium reach the apical surface
68
epithelial tissue is avascular, what does this mean?
no blood supply, it diffuses through from the BM from capillaries in the underlying connective tissue

Week 2 (7 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions