Lining Epithelia Flashcards
composition and characteristics of lining epithelia
-mainly cells with little ECM
-cells apposed and connected with tight junctions
-lie on a basement membrane which lays on CT
-have a free surface on apical domain (usually facing lumen)
General functions of ET (5)
- secretion (stomach)
- absorption (intestine)
- transportation (using motile cilia OR bulk transport to and from CT)
- mechanical protection (epidermis and bladder)
- receptor function (taste buds/retina/nasal mucosa)
why do epithelial cells always have an underlying portion of CT?
ET is avascular but CT is vascularised. ET gets its nutrients from diffusion from blood vessels of CT
different apical specialisations that can be possessed by ET
- microvili (1 micrometer)
- cilia (10 micrometers)
- sterocilia (100 micrometers)
3 LOCATION BASED definitions of epithelium
- ENDOTHELIUM: ET lining on blood and lympathic vessels
- MESOTHELIUM: ET lining walls of closed cavities (eg, abdominal and pleural)
- ENDOCARDIUM: ET lining ventricles and atria in the heart
!! ALL: simple squamous cells (with 2 exceptions)
exceptions where endothelium is NOT simple squamous (2)
- HEV: high endothelial venules - postcapillary venules of certain lymphatic tissues, ET is cuboidal
- SPLEEN: venous sinuses contain ROD shaped ET.
Cell polarity definition
The specific characteristics associated with the apical/lateral/basal domains of cells that produce an intrinsic asymmetry of the cell needed for important functions (eg. barrier creation)
Structure of microvilli
-make up the brush border with the addition of the glycocalyx (glycoproetins and glycosaminoglycans)
-core is made of 20-30 actin filaments connected at their tip with villin (actin-bundling protein)
-horizontal network of actin extends into apical cytoplasm forming the terminal web
-proteins that allow crosslinking of actin at 10nm intervals: fascin/ espin/fimbrin
-core is associated with myosin 1
-spectrin stabilises terminal web
-myosin 2 and tropomyosin gives terminal web a contractile ability
microvilli: function and location
-number and shape corresponds with the cells absorbance capacity
-increases SA to increase diffusion via absorption
-visible in LM as striated brush border but an individuall microvillus is below the resolution power of the microscope
Sterocilia structure
-actin internal bundles (positive ends at the tips and negative ends at the base)
- ezrin proteins connect actin to plasma membrane
-absence of villin at the tip
-espin and fimbrin are actin bundling proteins that stabilise filaments
-actin filaments form cross bridges in the apical cytoplasm via interaction with alpha actinin
-connected via cytoplasmic bridges of alpha actinin
!! Derived from microvilli by lateral addition and elongation of actin
stereocilia function and location
-only present in the epidydymis, proximal ductus deferens, sensory hair cells of the inner ear
IN GENITAL DUCTS: act as larger microvilli to faciliate absorption
IN SENSORY HAIR CELLS: fucntion as mechanoreceptors and are capable of regeneration
!! BOTH CASES: IMMOTILE
Special characteristics of stereocilia in the sensory ET of the inner ear (3):
- STAIRCASE PATTERN: uniform in diamter and organised into bundles of increasing heights
- HIGH ACTIN DENSITY: high amounts of actin, extensively cross linked by espin
- LACK OF EZRIN AND ALPHA ACTININ
mechanism by which sterocilia maintain their structure
TREADMILLING: actin monomers are continuously added to the tips (+ve) and removed from the base (-ve)
- REASON: overstimmulation of stereocilia can lead to a loss of structure
Types of cilia (3)
- MOTILE: typical 9+2 axoneme organisation
- PRIMARY: solitary projections found on almost all euk cells. IMMOTILE (due to lack of motor proteins). Act as chemo/osmo/mechano receptors
- NODAL: found in bilaminar embryonic disc of embryo during gestation, and perform rotational movement, play a role in embryonic development
Motile cilia function and locations
-movement of material
-trachea, bronchi, oviducts
structure of MOTILE cilia
-9 doublets of peripheral MTs, one having a full 13 protofilament shell and the other having 11 and being completed by the first one
-outer filaments link to the basal bodies (modified centrioles)
-2 central MTs surrounded by a central sheath
-MTs linked by:
1. dynein arms (MAP)
2. nexin linking proteins (connects peripheral MTs with eachother)
3. radial spokes (connects peripheral to central MTs)
4. kinesin motor proteins
Process of ciliary movement (MOTILE CILIA)
- EFFECTIVE STROKE: dynein arms originating in A MT forms temporary cross bridges with B MT of adjacent doublet. This is ATP dependent (hydrolysis), and causes a sliding movement via shear stress
- RECOVERY STROKE: passive elastic connections provided by nexin and radial spokes accummulate energy to bring cilium to upright position
!! creates a synchronised wave spreading throughout the ET: called metachronal rhythm and is controlled mainly by the direction the basal feet are facing
primary cilia structure
-contains 9+0 arrangement because only the peripheral MTs exist
primary cilia main characteristics (6)
-one present in each cell
- nonmotile and bend passively with fluid flow
-lack MT proteins (dynein)
-lack of radial spokes and central MT pair
-axoneme originates from a BB positioned orthogonally
-formation is synchronised with cell cycle progression and centrosome duplication events
primary cilia function
-cellular sinaling devices receiving chemical, osmotic, light and mechanical stimuli from extracellular environment
-cilia then send signals to cells to modufy cellular processes (eg, cell division and cell elongation)
-also modulates Ca2+ release
How is machinery for ciliar growth transported within the cilia?
IFT: intraflagellar transport
-occurs because cilia lack machinery for protein synthesis
-uses raft platforms assembled from IFT proteins
-cargo molecules are loaded onto the IFT platforms and use motor proteins (dynein/kinesin) for transport
anterograde: towards tip, uses kinesin
retrograde: towards base, using dynein