DESCRIBE THE FOUR TYPES OF TISSUE

Tissues in the body can be categorised into 4 types depending on the func-
tion they carry out as well as it’s physical structure. They are hence differenti-
ated as epithelial, connective, muscle and nervous tissue. These different tis-
sue types consist of specialised cells working alongside each other in order to
carry out a particular function.

1) Epithelial tissue

• Comprised of epithelial cells, taking 3 forms: columnar, flat or cuboidal.

• Extremely thin allowing it to form a coverage over all parts of the body that
have exposed surfaces.

• One of it’s primary functions is to absorb, secrete and excrete substances.

• It can be found in (and out) many parts of the body including: the lining of
the hollows parts of major organs such as the lungs, heart, ears, eyes, the
brains ventricular system, central canals of the spinal chord, it can also be
found in secretary glands, external skin, the digestive tract and the lining of
the mouth.
• Due to epithelial cells being packed together tightly, this allows it to act as
a barrier against the movement of fluids as well as micro-organisms that
have a potential of causing harm if they enter the body. The structure of

the cells prevents them from entering particularly due to their presence n
the external skin. These cells are typically attached by specialised junc-
tions. These junctions forms it ‘tightly packed’ structure, which also pre-
vents fluid leakages.
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2) Connective tissue

• Primarily made up of 2 elements which are a matrix and cells

• The cells found in this type of tissue will differentiate depending on the type
of tissue being supported. For example, cells making up the connective tis-
sue present in the blood will not be the same as the ones found in another
part of the body: white and red blood cells are present in the blood, this is a

fluid connective tissue whereas fat or adipose tissue are made up of

adipocytes (fat cells). However, there are some cells which can be found
commonly across different types of connective tissue in the body such as fi-
broblasts of which are present in large quantities.
• Ligaments and tendons comprise fibrous or dense connective tissue. The
ligaments forms bone to bone connections while tendons connects the
muscles to bones.

3) Nervous tissue
• Found in the peripheral nervous system (PNS) and the central nervous sys-
tem (CNS)
• It is a specialised tissue that primarily comprises neurones (they transmit
signals known as action potentials or electrical impulses) along with sup-
porting cells known as neuroglia (these are cells that support neurones by
supplying them with nutrients and forming insulation between two neurones
preventing electrical signals from getting crossed. They contribute to the
formation of synaptic connections and kill dead cells and pathogens like
bacteria).
• The role of the nervous system is to control the body and it is responsible

for communication among its parts so similarly as with an electrical circuit it

transmits signals from nerves to the spinal cord and brain. Peripheral
nerves (that run throughout the body) and organs of the central nervous
system (the brain and spinal cord) are the major areas in which nervous tis-
sue is found.
•

4) Muscle tissue

• Muscle tissue is made up of long and fibrous excitable cells. These cells
enable us to move as it brings about the contraction of muscles. They are
typically very strong due to it parole lines and bundle like structure.

• Muscle cells (myocytes) are made up of myofibrils which are further com-
prised of myosin filaments and actin. These slide past each other causing
the shape of the myocyte to change. Muscle tissue is made up of several of
these mycocytes.

• Muscle tissue is a soft tissue that specialises in the production of tension to

bring about movement.
•
• There are 3 types of muscle tissues:
2) Striated muscles: lined with striations or bands along its length. It is at-
tached to the skeletal system of the body particularly to long bones. They
aid directly in muscle contraction and hence overall movement. We are in
control of these movements therefore it is voluntary.
3) Cardiac muscles: These are only present in the heart, comprised of stria-
tions with branches spreading from it which aid in pumping blood by the
heart.
4) Smooth muscles are spindle or cone shaped in structure. They are non
striated and non voluntary and can be found in organs including the small
and large intestines, uterus, stomach and the bladder, more specifically in
the walls of these hollow organs

2) Using images of the 4 different tissue types, compare and contrast their
structures and functions you should include the differences in cell shape and
their organelle content you should give the function of each of the organelles
you name and how this relates to the function.
3) Links between cells, tissues, organs and organ systems
• All living organisms are made up of cells so the ‘cell’ makes up the simple
unit of life. The body is an example of something that is comprised of cells.
The cells are different for different things for example an animals cells and
plants cells contain different organelles.
• Cells form tissues: A tissue consists of groups of similar or the same type of
cells that are organised together to carry out a particular function. All tissues
in the body can be categorised into 4 types of basic tissue: connective, mus-
cle, nervous, epithelial.
• Tissues form organs: An organ is a specialised group of tissues thats per-
forms a particular function. The heart and liver are examples of organs. 2 or
more tissues are grouped together, forming a single unit with a distinctive
function and structure. The hearts comprises all 4 types of tissue to carry out
its very importance function (pumping blood).
• Organs form organ systems: Organ systems are groups of organs within the
body that work together as a unit to carry out a particular function. The di-
gestive system is an example of an organ system consisting of majors organs
including the intestines, liver and the stomach.
• These links can be illustrated in the following examples:
- There are many body functions that are controlled by the endocrine system and the
nervous system. For example, coordination and control. These two regulatory sys-
tems coordinate activity in different parts of the body using hormones which affect
the function of the other organs and organ systems. The chemical messenger used
in the nervous systems are neurotransmitters while hormones are used in the en-
docrine system. These are coordinated by different organs the brain and spinal
chord (nervous system) and pancreas (endocrine system), neurotransmitters are re-
leased crosses from one nerve cell to another while hormones are released into the
blood.
- Taking the digestive system as an example, its summarised function is to
breakdown consumed food into smaller molecules and absorb it while
eliminating waste products from the body. This important overall function
would be unable to happen if each organ involved wasn't successive in
completing its own individual function. The digestive system begins at the
mouth, connects to the stomach while the pancreas and liver are located ad-
jacent to the stomach, leading to the small intestine and ending at the large
intestine.
- Taking the stomach as example (part of the digestive system), one of it’s composi-
tions (specifically its innermost layer) includes a lining of simple columnar epithe-
lium. This tissue type enables a very large surface area for secretion or absorption,
it also forms gastric glands (depressions). Present within these glands are parietal
cells and mucous secreting cells. From this it is evident that the individual cells
forming tissues compose the organ which in turn plays a major role in the overall
organ system.
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Since hormones have to travel through the blood-

stream to their targets, the endocrine system usu-
ally coordinates processes on a slower time scale
than the nervous system in which messages are
delivered directly to the target cell. In some cases,
such as the fight-or-flight response to an acute
threat, the nervous and endocrine systems work
together to produce a response.

Organ systems work together,

too.
Just as the organs in an organ system work together
to accomplish their task, so the different organ sys-
tems also cooperate to keep the body running.
For example, the respiratory system and the circula-
tory system work closely together to deliver oxygen to
cells and to get rid of the carbon dioxide the cells pro-
duce. The circulatory system picks up oxygen in the
lungs and drops it off in the tissues, then performs the
reverse service for carbon dioxide. The lungs expel
the carbon dioxide and bring in new oxygen-contain-
ing air. Only when both systems are working together
can oxygen and carbon dioxide be successfully ex-
changed between cells and environment.
There are many other examples of this cooperation in
your body. For instance, the blood in your circulatory
system has to receive nutrients from your digestive
system and undergo filtration in your kidneys, or it
wouldn't be able to sustain the cells of your body and
remove the wastes they produce.
Control and coordination
Many body functions are controlled by the nervous
system and the endocrine system. These two regula-
tory systems use chemical messengers to affect the
function of the other organ systems and to coordinate
activity at different locations in the body.
How do the endocrine and nervous systems differ?
In the endocrine system, the chemical messen-
gers are hormones released into the blood.
In the nervous system, the chemical messengers
are neurotransmitters sent straight from one cell
to another across a tiny gap.
Since hormones have to travel through the blood-
stream to their targets, the endocrine system usually
coordinates processes on a slower time scale than the
nervous system in which messages are delivered di-
rectly to the target cell. In some cases, such as the
fight-or-flight response to an acute threat, the nervous
and endocrine systems work together to produce a re-
sponse.