FUNDAMENTAL TISSUES

4 Major Types:

1. Epithelial Tissues

2. Connective Tissues

3. Muscular Tissues

4. Nervous Tissues

EPITHELIAL TISSUES

Closely apposed polygonal cells with little or no intercellular material

General Characteristics:

1. Highly cellular

2. Arranged in sheets or in layers

3. Intimate contact with one another

4. Avascular

5. Forms glands

6. Scanty or absent intercellular substance

7. Supported by a basement membrane

Functions:

1. Protection 5. Reproduction

2. Transport 6. Secretion

3. Sensory reception 7. Excretion

4. Absorption

Epithelia - Occur as membranes and as glands

Membranes - formed by sheets of cells

- cover an external surface or line an internal surface

Glands - down growth of epithelial surfaces into underlying connective tissue

- Usually, connection to surface remains as a duct

 such are exocrine glands

- in some cases, surface connections is lost and the gland secretes internally
into the vascular system
 Classifications of Epithelia
Based on number of cell layer and the morphology of the cells

I. Simple – one layer of cells

A. Simple squamous

- single layer of flattened cells

- cells are saddle-like with serrated edges and a centrally located nucleus (top view)

- on surface view, cells appear elongated or spindle in shape

 B. Simple Cuboidal

- Cells look like tiny squares where the height of the cell is equal to its width

 C. Simple Columnar

- Cells resemble tall prism-like rectangles

- Height is more than its width

 D. Pseudostratified Epithelium

- Layers of cells have false stratification

- All the cells in all the layers are attached to the basement membrane

Modified Epithelia

- usually are columnar cells with added specializations

1. Glandular or pyramidal - secretory type like the goblet cells

2. Ciliated - cilia is present on the top surface of the cell

3. Pigmented Epithelia - cells contain colored pigment granules

4. Neuroepithelium - for sensory reception

II. Stratified or Complex

- multi-layer

- serves chiefly for protection

1. Stratified squamous

- topmost layer: flattened cells

- middle layer : 2 or more layers of polyhedral cells

- basal layer: cuboidal to columnar cells

  2 types:

1. Keratinized

topmost layer undergo metamorphosis

Ex. Skin

2. Non-keratinized

seen in wet, moist surfaces that is subjected to considerable wear and tear

Ex:

1. Buccal mucosa

2. Esophagus

3. Epiglottis

4. Vagina

5. Anus

6. Cornea

 3. Stratified Columnar

top: columnar cells

middle layer: irreg. shaped polyhedral cells

basal: columnar cells touching the basement membrane

4. Stratified Cuboidal

- composed of large polyhedral cells with topmost layer being big cuboidal cells

5. Transitional

- Variety of stratified epithelium

- Transition b /w stratified squamous and stratified columnar epithelia

- Superficial cells tend to bulge into the lumen giving a dome-shaped profile
called “umbrella cells”(facet cells)

 SPECIALIZATIONS ON THE SURFACE OF EPITHELIAL CELLS

I. Lateral

A. Junctional Complex

a. Zonula occludens

b. Zonula adherens

c. Macula adherens

B. Gap Junction

C. Lateral Interdigitations
 II. Basal

A. Basal Lamina

B. Hemidesmosomes

C. Basal Plasma Membrane infoldings

III. Apical

A. Cilia

B. Microvilli

C. Stereocilia

D. Striated or brush border

E. Cuticle

I. LATERAL EPITHELIAL SURFACES

- Specialized junctions for adhesion communication b/w cells and in restricting mov’t
of materials into and out of lumina

A. Junctional complex

- intricate arrangement of membrane- assoc’d structures

1. Zonula occludens

2. Zona adherens

3. Macula adherens

B. Gap Junctions

- nexus or communicating junctions

- couple adjacent cells metabolically and electrically

- common in certain tissues like CNS, cardiac and smooth muscles

- composed of an ordered array of subunits called connexons

C. Lateral Interdigitations

- regular, fingerlike projections that interlock adjacent epithelial cells

II. BASAL EPITHELIAL SURFACES

A.Basal Lamina

2 Zones:

- Lamina rara or lucida

 lies next to plasma membrane lamina densa

  denser meshwork

 lies adjacent to the reticular lamina of the deeper connective tissue

- basement membrane

 underlying reticular lamina observed by light microscopy

B. Hemidesmosomes

C. Basal Plasma –Membrane Infolding

- common in ion-transporting epithelia

III. APICAL EPITHELIAL SURFACES

A. Microvilli

- finger-like projections of epithelia that extend into the lumen

- characterized by a glycocalyx (sugar coat) on their exterior surface

- bundle of 30 actin filaments

- constitute the

• brush border of kidney PCT (proximal convoluted tubule)

• striated border of intestinal absorptive cells

 B. Stereocilia

- very long microvilli

- located in the:

• epididymis

• vas deferens

C. Cilia

- actively motile processes

- propel substances along epithelial surfaces

- core of longitudinally arranged microtubules (axoneme)

- which arise from a basal body during ciliogenesis

GLANDS

- specialized as organ of secretion or excretion

- formed when epithelial tissues grow down into the underlying connective tissue

 Classifications:

I. According to morphology

- based on duct branching

A. SIMPLE

- duct does not branch

 1. simple straight tubular 4. Simple unbranched alveolar

Ex. Crypts of Lieberkuhn ex. Tarsal glands

2. Simple coiled tubular 5. Simple branched saccular

Ex. Sweat glands ex. Sebaceous gland

3. simple branched tubular

ex. Gastric glands, uterine glands

B. COMPOUND

- duct branches

1. Compound tubular

Ex. Testes

2. compound alveolar

ex. Glands in the respiratory tracts

3. Compound tubulo-alveolar

ex. Large salivary glands

4. Compound saccular

ex. Mammary gland

II. According to number

A. Unicellular

- single cell functioning as a gland

B. Multicellular

- many cells joined together in producing a gland

III. According to site of secretion

- based on how the glands discharge its secretory products

A. exocrine

- secrete into a duct or onto a surface

- most glands in the body are of this type

B. Endocrine

- ductless
 - secrete into the blood

IV. According to types or nature of secretions

A. Serous

- watery secretion, often rich in enzymes

B. Mucous

- thick viscous secretion

C. Seromucous or mixed

- both cell types are present in a single alveolus

 serous secreting cells are found in the periphery of a mucous alveoli

 so-called serous demilunes of Gianuzzi

V. According to mechanism of secretion

A. Merocrine

B. Apocrine

C. Holocrine