CELL TYPES

Learning Objectives
The students should be able to:

a. Identify the four types of tissue, and

b. relate the structure of each tissue type to
their function.
WHAT IS TISSUE?
The term tissue is used to describe a group of
cells found together in the body.
 A. EPITHELIAL TISSUE
Epithelial (epi, on + thele, covering or lining) tissue is
found throughout the body as covering of both
internal and external surfaces.

Skin on the outside of the body and linings of cavities

such as the digestive tract, respiratory passages,
and blood vessels. It is characterized by closely
joined cells with tight junctions.
FUNCTIONS:

• Protection
• Secretion
• Absorption
• Forms glands & ducts
The cells that make up epithelial
tissues have distinct shapes and
arrangements. Its classification
is according to its shape and
arrangement.

❖ Simple - one layer

❖ Stratified- more than one layer.
❖ Pseudostratified - it gives a
wrong impression that
there is more than one layer of
cells but is one layer.
I. SIMPLE SQUAMOUS EPITHELIUM

LOCATION:
Air sacs of the lungs and the lining of the heart, blood vessels, and
lymphatic vessels

FUNCTION:
Allows materials to pass through by diffusion and filtration, and secretes
lubricating substance.
II. SIMPLE CUBOIDAL EPITHELIUM

LOCATION:
In ducts and secretory portions of small glands and in kidney tubules.

FUNCTION:
Secretes and absorbs.
III. SIMPLE COLUMNAR EPITHELIUM

LOCATION:
Ciliated tissues are in bronchi, uterine tubes, and uterus; smooth
(nonciliated tissues) are in the digestive tract, bladder.

FUNCTION:
Absorbs; it also secretes mucous and enzymes
IV. PSEUDOSTRATIFIED COLUMNAR EPITHELIUM

LOCATION:
Ciliated tissue lines the trachea and much of the upper respiratory tract.

FUNCTION:
Secretes mucus; ciliated tissue moves mucus.
V. STRATIFIED SQUAMOUS EPITHELIUM

LOCATION:
Lines the esophagus, mouth, and vagina.

FUNCTION:
Protects against abrasion.
VI. STRATIFIED CUBOIDAL EPITHELIUM

LOCATION:
Sweat glands, salivary glands, and the mammary glands.

FUNCTION:
Protective tissue
VII. STRATIFIED COLUMNAR EPITHELIUM

LOCATION:
Male urethra and the ducts of some glands.

FUNCTION:
Secretes and protect
VIII. TRANSITIONAL EPITHELIUM

LOCATION:
Lines the bladder, urethra, and the ureters.

FUNCTION:
Allows the urinary organs to expand and stretch
 B. CONNECTIVE TISSUE
It connects different components of our body. It made up of cells, fibres, and
matrix. Fibroblasts, fibrocytes, macrophages and adipose cells. Matrix is
composed of ground substance and fibres.

Connective tissue functions:

1. Enclosing and separating. Sheets of connective tissues form capsules
around organs, and layers that separate tissues and organs.
2. Connecting tissues to one another.
3. Supporting and moving.
4. Storing.
5. Cushioning and insulating.
6. Transporting.
7. Protecting.

It composed of the following:

BLOOD, CONNECTIVE TISSUE PROPER (CTP), CARTILAGE, AND BONE.
 CELLS
• Fibroblasts – the cells which synthesize
collagen fibres, elastic fibres and lays down
matrix.

• Fibrocytes – when the fibroblasts mature they

are known as fibrocytes.
• Adipose / fat cells – they are
rounded cells but they are
usually present in group, they
get mutually compressed so
may have variable shape. They
have fat globule in their
cytoplasm which pushes the
nucleus to periphery giving the
cell signet ring appearance.
Their function is to store fat in
their cytoplasm.
• Plasma cells – rounded to ovoid
basophilic cells with cart wheel
nucleus. They are rich in rER.
Their function is to synthesize
immunoglobulins.
• Mast cells – they are
involved in inflammatory
reactions.
• Macrophages – their
function is to engulf
various foreign particles.
• Leucocytes – White blood
macrophage

cells are known as

leucocytes. They are
neutrophils, lymphocytes,
eosinophils, basophils and
monocytes. They have
defensive action.
• Pigment cells – import brown
color to the skin when they are
present in epidermis. Their
presence offers protection
against ultraviolet rays of the
sunlight.
• Mesenchymal cells – are
undifferentiated cells. They can
differentiate into a variety of cell
types.
 FIBRES
• Collagen fibres – they are flexible
but offer great tensile strength.
They found in tendons, ligaments
and all kinds connective tissues.
• Elastic fibres – they can stretch and then
come back to their normal when
stretching force is relieved. They are
found in ligamentum nuchae, ligamentum
flava and in the wall of large arteries.
• Reticular fibres – they are special type of
collagen fibres and can be seen only by
special stain. They are seen in the
connective tissue framework of spleen,
liver, and lymph nodes.
I. BLOOD
Location: within blood vessels and heart. Produced by the red bone marrow.
Structure: Blood cells are suspended in a fluid called plasma containing water, salts,
and dissolved proteins;
• erythrocytes that carry oxygen (RBC),
• leukocytes for defense (WBC), and
• platelets for blood clotting.
Function: It transports oxygen, carbon dioxide, hormones, nutrients, wastes
products and other substances. Also protects the body from infection and is involved
in temperature regulation.
II. CONNECTIVE TISSUE PROPER (CTP)
Connective tissue proper can be classified into
loose connective tissue and dense connective
tissue.
1. Loose Connective Tissue
Location: Widely distributed throughout the body, it is the substance on
which most epithelial tissue rests, it is the packing between glands,
muscles, and nerves, it attaches the skin to underlying tissues, and forms
the superficial layer of the dermis.
Structure: Cells (fibroblast, macrophages, and lymphocytes) within a fine
network of mostly collagen fibers, the cells and fibers are separated from
one another by fluid filled spaces.
Function: Loose packing and supporting for the structures with which it is
associated.
Adipose tissue is also an example of loose connective tissues
that store fats which function to insulate the body and store
energy.
2. Dense Connective Tissue
Has an extracellular matrix that consists of densely packed fibers.
Location: Tendons (attached muscle to bone), nonelastic ligaments
(attach bone to bone), most of the dermis of the skin, and organ capsules.
Structure: Matrix consists almost entirely of collagen fibers produced by
fibroblast; the fibers can all be oriented in the same direction (tendons
and ligaments), or in many different directions (dermis and organ
capsules).
Function: Able to withstand great pulling forces and resists stretching in
the direction of fiber orientation.
 III. CARTILAGE
Are of three types:

1. Hyaline Cartilage
Location: ribs, cartilage ring of respiratory tract, and in nasal cartilages;
covers the end of the bones, growth plates of bones, and embryonic skeleton.
Structure: Solid matrix and evenly distributed collagen→ transparent
Function: Support and flexibility, forms smooth surface of joint
2. Fibrocartilage
Location: found in intervertebral disks, symphysis pubis, and articulating
cartilage of some joints (knee and jaw)
Structure: collagen fiber is more numerous than in hyaline and elastic
cartilage, and they are arranged in thick bundles.
Function: Flexible and capable of withstanding considerable pressure.
Connects structures subjected to great pressure.
3. Elastic Cartilage
Location: external ears, epiglottis, and auditory tubes
Structure: similar to hyaline cartilage but the matrix has abundant elastic
fiber
Function: provide rigidity but more flexible than hyaline cartilage because
elastic fibers return to their original shape after being stretched.
 IV. BONE
Bone is a hard connective tissue that consists of living cells and mineralized matrix.
The matrix of collagen is combined with calcium, magnesium, and phosphate ions to
make the bone hard. Blood vessels and nerves are found at a central canal
surrounded by concentric circles of osteons
Location: all the bones of the body
Structure: hard, mineralized matrix, many osteocytes (bone cells) are located
within lacunae, and matrix is organized into layers called lamellae.
Function: provides great strength and support and protects internal organs.
Provides attachment sites to muscles and ligaments. The joints of bones allow
movements.
 C. MUSCLE TISSUE
The main characteristic of muscle tissue is its ability to
contract, or shorten, making movement possible. It is
composed of long cells called muscle fibers that allow
the body to move voluntarily or involuntary as a response
to signals coming from nerve cells.

In vertebrates, these muscles can be categorized into the

following:
SKELETAL MUSCLE, SMOOTH MUSCLE, AND CARDIAC
MUSCLE
I. SKELETAL MUSCLE

Location: attached to bone

Structure: striated, cell is large, long and cylindrical with many nuclei
located at the periphery.
Function: voluntary movements of the body
II. SMOOTH MUSCLE

Location: walls of hollow organs and tubes

Structure: tapered at each end, not striated, and have a single nucleus
Function: regulates the size of organs, forces fluids through tubes, controls
the light entering the eye; under involuntary control
III. CARDIAC MUSCLE

Location: heart
Structure: striated with a single, centrally located nucleus, they are
branched and connected to one another by intercalated disk.
Function: pumps the blood and is under involuntary control
 D. NERVOUS TISSUE

Nervous tissue forms the brain, spinal

cord, and nerves.
It is responsible for coordinating and
controlling many bodily activities.
Nerve tissue consists of neurons (nerve cells) and
neuroglia (glial cells) that serves as support cells.

Neuron is responsible for conducting action potential.

It is composed of the cell body (site for general cell
function), dendrite (receives action potential) and axon
(conducts action potential away from cell body).

NEURON
THANK YOU!