Epithelial tissue

Epithelial tissue
Epithelium is one of the four basic types of animal tissue, along
with connective tissue, muscle tissue and nervous tissue.
• They line the cavities and surfaces of structures throughout
the body.
• They are classified by the morphology (or shape) of their
cells, and the number of layers they are composed of. In all
cases the cells are tightly connected.
• Functions of epithelial cells include secretion, selective
absorption, protection, trans-cellular transport and detection
of sensation.
 Properties
• Cellular nature- Cells of epithelial tissue are tightly packed
and form a continuous sheet, with almost no intercellular
spaces. These sheets are held together by specialized junctions.
• All epithelia usually rest on and are separated from
underlying tissues by an extra cellular fibrous(connective
tissue), the basement membrane. The basement membrane
serves as a scaffolding on which epithelium can grow and
regenerate after injuries.
• Polarity- Epithelium is arranged so there is one free surface
(apical surface) and one attached surface (basal surface)
• Epithelial tissue is innervated, but avascular. It is
nourished by substances diffusing from the blood vessels
in the underlying tissue. The basement membrane acts as
a selectively permeable membrane that determines which
substances will be able to enter the epithelium
• Regeneration- Epithelial cells can regenerate if properly
nourished.
 Development
In general, there are epithelial tissues deriving from all of the
embryological germ layers:
• From ectoderm (e.g. the epidermis);
• From endoderm (e.g. the lining of the gastrointestinal tract);
• From mesoderm (e.g. the inner linings of body cavities).

• However, it is important to note that pathologists do not consider

endothelium and mesothelium (both derived from mesoderm) to
be true epithelium. This is because such tissues present very
different pathology.
• Pathologists label cancers in endothelium and mesothelium
sarcomas, whereas true epithelial cancers are called carcinomas.
 Classification
Based on shape and number of layers
• SHAPE/MORPHOLOGY: There are three principal morphologies
associated with epithelial cells:

• Squamous epithelium has cells that are wider than they are tall

(flat and scale-like).

• Cuboidal epithelium has cells whose height and width are

approximately the same (cube shaped).

• Columnar epithelium has cells taller than they are wide (column-

shaped). In addition, the morphology of the cells in transitional

epithelium may vary from squamous to cuboidal, depending on

the amount of tension on the epithelium.

Number of cell layers
Simple epithelium: Epithelial tissue that is only one cell thick
is known as.
Stratified epithelium: Two or more cells thick.
However, when taller simple epithelial cells are viewed in
cross section with several nuclei appearing at different
heights, they can be confused with stratified epithelia. This
kind of epithelium is therefore described as
"pseudostratified" epithelium
Simple epithelium
Simple epithelium is one cell thick; that is, every cell is in
direct contact with the underlying basement membrane.
In general, it is found where absorption and filtration occur.
The thinness of the epithelial barrier facilitates these
processes.
Simple epithelial tissues are classified by the shape of their
cells. (1) simple squamous; (2) simple cuboidal; (3) simple
columnar; (4) pseudostratified.
• Simple squamous: lining areas where passive diffusion of

gases occur. e.g. walls of capillaries, linings of the pericardial,

pleural, and peritoneal cavities, as well as the linings of the

alveoli of the lungs.

Simple cuboidal: these cells may have secretory, absorptive, or
excretory functions. Examples include small collecting ducts of
kidney, pancreas and salivary gland.

In kidney tissue we find the kidney's

tubules cut such that they appear as
rings of cells around empty spaces.
These cuboidal cells (A) that line these
tubules are as wide as they are tall as
they are deep - cuboidal. The nuclei
(B) are easily observed.
• Simple columnar; found in areas with extremely high
secretive (as in wall of the stomach), or absorptive (as in small
intestine) areas. They possess cellular extensions (e.g.
microvilli in the small intestine, or cilia found almost
exclusively in the female reproductive tract).

A single layer of columnar cells (A)

lining the villi of the small intestine -
thus the name simple columnar
epithelium. Note these cells are not
as wide as they are tall with the
darkly stained nuclei (B) located at
Pseudostratified epithelia; they are also called respiratory
epithelium due to their almost exclusive confinement to the
larger respiratory airways i.e. the nasal cavity, trachea, bronchi
e.t.c

The columnar cells of this tissue all

begin at the basement membrane (A)
The nuclei (C) appear at various
levels giving the tissue a stratified
appearance. The cilia (B) are easily
seen.
 Stratified Epithelium
• Stratified epithelium differs from simple epithelium in
that it is multi-layered.
• Therefore found where body linings have to withstand
mechanical or chemical insult such that layers can be
abraded and lost without exposing sub-epithelial layers.
• Cells flatten as the layers become more apical, though in
their most basal layers the cells can be squamous,
cuboidal or columnar
Transitional epithelia
• Found in tissues that stretch and it can appear to be stratified

cuboidal when the tissue is not stretched or stratified

squamous when the organ is distended and the tissue

stretches.

• It is sometimes called the urothelium since it is almost

exclusively found in the bladder, ureters and urethra

 Specializations of stratified epithelia

Keratinization:

Here, the most apical layers (exterior) of cells are dead and lose

their nucleus and cytoplasm, instead contain a tough, resistant

protein called keratin.

This specialization makes the epithelium waterproof, so is found in

the mammalian skin. The lining of the oesophagus is an example

of a non-keratinized or "moist" stratified epithelium.

Ciliated Columnar Epithelium
• These are simple columnar epithelial cells, but in
addition, they posses fine hair-like outgrowths called
cilia on their free surfaces. These cilia are capable
of rapid, rhythmic, wavelike beatings in a certain
direction.
• This directional movement causes the mucus, which
is secreted by the goblet cells, to move (flow or
stream) in that direction.
• Ciliated epithelium is usually found in the air
passages like the nose.
• It is also found in the uterus and Fallopian tubes of
females. The movement of the cilia propel the ovum
to the uterus.
 Epithelial junctions
In many tissues (e.g., connective tissue), each cell is separated
from the next by an extracellular coating or matrix. However,
in some tissues (e.g., epithelia), the plasma membranes of
adjacent cells are pressed together. Four kinds of junctions
occur:
• Tight junctions
• Adherens junctions
• Gap junctions
• Desmosomes
Tight junctions(occluding junction or zona occludens):
• Epithelia are sheets of cells that provide the interface between
masses of cells and a cavity or space (a lumen).
• The portion of the cell exposed to the lumen is called its apical
surface.
• The rest of the cell (i.e., its sides and base) make up the baso-
lateral surface.
• Tight junctions seal adjacent epithelial cells in a narrow band
just beneath their apical surface.
Tight junctions perform two vital functions:
• They limit the passage of molecules and ions through the
space between cells. So most materials must actually enter
the cells (by diffusion or active transport) in order to pass
through the tissue. This pathway provides tighter control over
what substances are allowed through.
• They block the movement of integral membrane proteins
between the apical and baso-lateral surfaces of the cell. Thus
the special functions of each surface, for example receptor-
mediated endocytosis at the apical surface exocytosis at the
baso-lateral surface can be preserved.
Adherens Junctions(zona adherens)
Adherens junctions provide strong mechanical attachments
between adjacent cells.
• They hold cardiac muscle cells tightly together as the heart
expands and contracts.
• They hold epithelial cells together.
• They seem to be responsible for contact inhibition.
• Some adherens junctions are present in narrow bands
connecting adjacent cells.
• Others are present in discrete patches holding the cells
together.
Desmosomes(macula adherens )
• Desmosomes, also known as a spot desmosome or macula
adherens, connect two cells together. A desmosome appear
circular or spot like in outline.
• Desmosomes are particularly common in epithelia that need to
withstand abrasion (e.g. skin).
• They are also found in cardiac cells, but the intermediate
filament in this case is desmin, not keratin (which is found in
epithelial cells).
Gap Junctions
• Gap junctions are intercellular channels, about 1.5–2 nm in
diameter. They permit the free passage of ions and small
molecules (up to a molecular weight of about 1000 daltons)
between cells
• They are cylinders constructed from 6 copies of transmembrane
proteins called connexins.
• Because ions can flow through them, gap junctions permit
changes in membrane potential to pass from cell to cell.
Examples:
• The action potential in heart (cardiac) muscle flows from cell to
cell through the heart providing the rhythmic contraction of
the heartbeat.
• At some so-called electrical synapses in the brain, gap
junctions permit the arrival of an action potential at the
synaptic terminals to be transmitted across to the postsynaptic
cell without the delay needed for release of a
neurotransmitter..
• As the time of birth approaches, gap junctions between the
smooth muscle cells of the uterus enable coordinated, powerful
contractions to begin.
 Epithelia
Squamous epithelial cell:

 Simple

 Stratified

Columnar epithelial cell

 Simple
 Stratified
 Pseudostratified

Cuboidal epithelial cell

 Simple
 Stratified

Specialised epithelia
 Respiratory
 Intestinal
 Transitional
 Germinal female & male