Cells which have similar

Morphologic characteristics
and functions

Intercellular substance
more or little
Tissue
Four basic types of tissues

Epithelial tissue
Connective tissue
Muscular tissue
Nervous tissue

These tissues associate one and
another in variable proportions,
forming different organs and systems
of the body.
Epithelial tissue
1. Location:
on the surface of body as sheets
(external or internal )
e.g. skin, digestive tract, bladder, blood vessel,
body cavity (pleural cavity
pericardial cavity
abdominal cavity)
2. Function
Protection:
protect organs and body from physical,
chemical, biological damage
Absorption:
nutrients are absorbed in
gastro-intestinal tract

Secretion: e.g. the epi. cells of gland

Sensation:
receive the stimulus of chemistry or
physics,
e.g. olfactory epi. cells
Transportation:
the epithelial cells can transport
ions(electrolytes), e.g. in kidney
Contractility: myoepithelial cells
Reproduction:
e.g. germinal epithelium in the testis
3. General structural features
Sheets: Many cell a little intercellular substance
* cells are closely aggregated together forming a thin membrane
* intercellular substance is homogeneous
* adhesion between cells is strong
Polarisation:
epithelial cells have free surface and basal surface.
In different surface,
the structure and function are different


Avascularity:
Generally, there are no blood vessels
in epithelium tissue.
Innervation:
Epithelium is rich in nerve ending
between epithelial cells.

II. The Classification of Epithelial tissue

According to their functions, epi. can be classified into :
covering epi.
glandular epi.
sensory epi.
myoepithelium
germinal epi.


III . Covering epithelium
Iclassification of covering epi.
1The principles of classification in covering epi.


1 Cell shape:
polygonal in superficial view, three main types of cell in vertical section
columnar height > width
cuboidal height = width
squamous height < width
(2) number of the cell layer
simple layer simple epi.
stratified layerstratified epi.
(more than one layer )
squamous
Cuboidal
columnar


Simple



Stratified

2How to name:
(superficial layer)
II Common type of covering epi.
1 simple squamous epithelium
()

Facilitates movement of viscera.
Active transport by pinocytosis.
in circulatory system endothelium ()
in body cavity mesothlium ()
2 simple cuboidal epithelium
()
covering ovary, thyroid, kidney
Covering
Secretion
absorption

3 simple columnar epithelium
lining gastrointestinal tract, gallbladder...



Absorption;
Protection;
Secretion ---goblet cell
lubrication
4 pseudostratified ciliated columnar epithelium
Pseudo false
columnar, fusiform, pyramid, goblet

Some cells are higher, some are shorter,
their nuclei are at different levels and not all cells reach to
surface
but all cells attach to
basement membrane
Lining of respiratory tract

Protection Secretion
Transport of particles out of air passages



5 Stratified squamous epithelium
()

stratified squamous
Keratinized() epi. skin
stratified squamous
Nonkeratinized() epi.
mouth, esophagus
vagina, anal canal
Protection

Withstand wearing and tearing


6 transitional epithelium
()
lining of urinary tract
(urinary bladder, ureter)
cell layer & cell shape can change
according to the degree of
distention of organs
Protection

IIISpecial structure of epithelium

some projections
1. Free surface:
1 microvillus ()

small, shorter.
1m high, 0.08m wide


LM: * brush border () kidney
* striated border () intestine
EM: fingerlike projection
surface cell membrane, cell coat
core cytoplasm
(contain microfilaments)

Function: enlarge the surface of cells


2 cilium ()
larger, longer and motile;
5-10long, 0.2in diameter



EM:
a central pair of microtubules
9 pairs of microtubules
9+2 arranged in a circle
Function:

make the fluid flow in one direction
by their rapid back-forth movement




cell cohesion:
Cell cohesion between epithelium cells related to
*glycoproteins, proteoglycans, calcium

However, the most important factors in cell
cohesion are special
intercellular junctions
which are specialization of lateral cell membrane.
tight junction
intermediate junction
desmosome
gap junction

2 lateral surface
near the lumen,
the outer lamina of
two adjacent cell membrane are fused into one
1Tight junction
(zonula occludens )
zonula: this J form a band completely
encircling the cell
occludens: membrane fusion close off
the intercellular space
Function: to form a tight seal barrier
preventing the free passage of
materials across epi.
belt-like
But the outer lamina of cell membrane are
not fused , just adhered.

Function: adhere the cells together
2intermediate junction (zonula adherens
)
3 desmosome (macula adherens )
elliptic patch(disk-like)
attachment plaques
intermediate filaments (loop-like structure)
intermediate line

Function: make the cells bind together very tightly

4 gap junction
like a patch:
some tubules connect cells

Tubule consists of six subunits;
center is a 0.5 nm hydrophilic canal
which permit interchange of ions

Function: interchange information

junctional complex
()

two or more junctions get together


3Basal surface
1 basement membrane()

LM: homogeneous,
acidophilic thin membrane

EM: basement lamina

reticular lamina

(somewhere,the reticular lamina is absent,
and could not be seen in LM)
Function:
support,connect,anchor the epi.

orient epithelial cells location

selective barrier
2 plasma membrane infolding
()


LM: longitudinal striation in basal part
of epi cells

EM: The cell membrane of basal surface
invaginate into cell body.
Mitochondria distribute between
these infolings.

Function:
enlarge the surface of cell membrane

Present in the cells which transport ions
and water.

3 Hemidesmosome
Between some epithelial cells and basal lamina

half a desmosome on the epitheliul cell membrane

bind the epithelial cells to basal lamina.

IV . Glandular epithelium ()


Glandular epithelia
tissues formed by cells specialized
to produce a fluid secretion
Gland
organ mainly formed by
Glandular epithelia
Exocrine gland

Endocrine gland
Unicellular gland

multicellular gland
Secretory portion:
contains the cells responsible
for the secretory process.

Ducts: transport secretion to the
exterior of the gland.