HH5.

2 (NEUROEPITHELIUM) HUMAN HISTOLOGY BMLS 2

NEUROEPITHELIUM 4. Sour
5. Umami – very common in Chinese food
 Neuroepithelium – are epithelial cells that are associated o It is found in foods that contain high levels of
with nerve cells or are supplied with nerve fibers for the glutamate (bitsin), such as cured meats, shellfish,
different sensation of our body. soy sauce, cheese and green tea, and other foods
rich in proteins.
I. OLFACTORY EPITHELIUM o A meaty, broth-like, savory taste.
 Responsible for the sense of smell
 Olfactory receptor cell – epithelial cells responsible for
the sense of smell
 Olfactory neuroepithelium – associated with epithelial
cells

II. SENSE OF VISION / SIGHT

 Cons and rods – responsible for color vision and
monochromatic vision, they are associated with pigment
epithelium and nerve cells we call the bipolar cells.
 From these nerves, there are 2 processes coming out
from the cell body and these are associated to a ganglion
cell and to the optic nerve responsible for the sight.

IV.SENSE OF HEARING / AUDITORY PERCEPTION

 In the inner ear, we can find the cochlear nerve that is
associated with the sense of hearing.

III.SENSE OF TASTE
 Found on the surface of our tongue.
 3 types of taste buds;
1. Circumvallate papilla
2. Foliate papilla
3. Fungiform papilla
 These tastes buds contain the taste pore where the food
can be felt by our tongue and determine the taste.
 The taste pore contains gustatory cells that are associated
with nerve fibers. With these taste pores we can taste 4
basic types of food;
1. Bitter
2. Salty
3. Sweet
HH5.2 (NEUROEPITHELIUM) HUMAN HISTOLOGY BMLS 2

 Specifically, in our ear, we have the receptor organ for

hearing in the organ of corti, it is found in the inner ear
in the cochlear portion on the basilar membrane.

SENSORY RECEPTORS

 These are sensory receptors or sensory nerve cells with

specialized terminal endings. Responsible for;
o Sense of touch
o Sense of pressure
o Sense of warmth / hot
o Sense of cold Shown below is an illustration of a villus;
o Sense of pain

STRUCTURES ASSOCIATED WITH EPITHELIA

 These are specializations in some epithelial cells usually

on the free surface area:
o Microvilli
o Stereocilia
o Cilia
o Flagella
o Basal infoldings – an exception, found in the basal
part of the cell

MICROVILLI Shown below is an illustration of microvillus/microvilli;

 Are minute, finger-like evaginations or structures going
outward or toward the surface area projections of the
apical membrane.
 Functions:
1. increase the surface area of the cell
2. increase area of absorption
 Types:

1. STRIATED / BRUSH BORDER

 Very common in the small intestine
 Delicate vertical cytoplasmic projections in a refractile
border of a columnar cell
 Prominent in cells with absorptive function
 That’s why it is found in the small intestine because the
intestinal cells function for absorption.
- Inside the digestive system, the intestines are in folded
appearance, these are finger-like projection in the lumen
of the digestive system, and each fold is called the ‘villi’.
- In the surface area of the cells or villus, we can see the
different microvilli found on each cell.
- The cells are mostly columnar in shape and the surface
area have evagination we call microvilli or brush border,
because the appearance or the length of the microvilli is
more or less the same in length, just like a toothbrush,
thus being called a brush border.
HH5.2 (NEUROEPITHELIUM) HUMAN HISTOLOGY BMLS 2

- A columnar cell wherein the apical surface has

microvilli, with equal lengths.

- The brush borders are made up of actin, myosin filament, - An illustration of the cross-section of the testis. The
and other protein component. round or irregular structure are cross-section of the
seminiferous tubules of the testis which are composed of
pseudostratified epithelium with stereocilia.

- The microvilli are also associated with glycocalyx,

especially in the intestinal cells.
Glycocalyx
- glycocalyx is a mass of filaments up to 3 μm thick
produced by the membrane of intestinal brush-border
microvilli, consisting of acid mucopolysaccharide
and glycoprotein, and thought to be associated with
the digestion of small food molecules.
- Also, a type of identifier that the body uses to
distinguish between its own healthy cells and
transplanted tissues, diseased cells, or invading
microorganisms.
- Included in the glycocalyx are cell-adhesion - Take note of the hair-like structure emerging from the
molecules that enable cells to adhere to each other surface cells of the pseudostratified epithelium, which
and guide the movement of cells during embryonic we refer to as the stereocilia.
development.

STEREOCILIA

 Appear as very long, flexuous microvilli (under the

electron microscopy, EM)
 Are long, non-motile, pyriform tuft processes projecting
into the lumen of the seminiferous tubules of the testes.
 Composed of thin cilium-like structures that form into a
tuft resembling the hair of a water color brush.
- Another illustration of the cross-section of the
seminiferous tubule with the stereocilia at the center of
the lumen.
HH5.2 (NEUROEPITHELIUM) HUMAN HISTOLOGY BMLS 2

- A closer look of the stereocilia in the epidermis of the Four parts of the human sperm cell:
seminiferous of the testis which we also refer to as the 1. Head – contains a structure we call, acrosome, a cap-like
efferent ducts. structure that contains enzymes
2. Neck – attaches the head to the midpiece
CILIA 3. Midpiece – contains other organelles of the cell
 Are numerous motile processes longer than microvilli. 4. Tail – responsible for the lashing movement of the sperm
 Are arranged in parallel rows projecting from the free cell
surface of some epithelial cells.
 Have a dense, elongate granule, the basal body at the
base of each cilium
 Function to move materials across the apical surface in a
unilateral movement / direction.

- Development of a sperm cell with its flagellum.

- On the 7th stage is the mature sperm cell that contains the
4 parts.

BASAL INFOLDINGS
 Are numerous infoldings or ruffled borders at the basal
surface of epithelial cells.
 A part of the membrane of the cell.
 Increase surface area of cells.
 Numerous at the proximal convoluted tubules of kidneys
for absorption.

FLAGELLA

 Have the same structure as the cilia but greater in length.

 Have a characteristic whip-like movement or lashing
movement and found in males, the sperm cell.
 One cell + one flagellum = sperm cell.