EpitheliumLearningobjectives

Classifyandidentifythedifferenttypesofsimpleand
stratifiedepithelia
Explainhoworganizationoftheepitheliarelatestoits
function
Identifyanddescribethegeneralorganizationandfeaturesof
glandularepithelium
NWKidneyslide#151 Examplesofsimplesquamousandsimplecuboidalepithelium.Simplesquamousepithelium
ofBowmanscapsulelinestherenalcorpuscle(tipsofblackarrowsindicatethenucleiofsimplesquamousepithelial
cells)andsimplecuboidalepitheliumlinesthetubules(tipsofbluearrows).Notetheflattenednucleiandscant
cytoplasmofthesquamousepithelium.Inthecuboidalepithelium,noticethatthecellsareaboutastallastheyare
wide,thenucleiareroundandlocatedcentrallywithinthecell.Thecellsliningthetubulewithastarinitslumenis
alsosimplecuboidaltolowcolumnar,althoughthesecellsaremoreirregularinshape.
NWThyroidslide#194 Exampleofsimplecuboidalepitheliumliningthecolloidfilledfollicles(pinkstuffinthe
lumens)ofthethyroidgland.Notehowthecellsareaboutastallastheyarewideandthenucleiareroundand
centrallylocated.Occasionally,theepitheliumwilllooklikesimplesquamousascolloidpressesonthe
epithelium.Linesinthecolloidareduetoartifactsintroducedduringtissueprocessing.
NWUterinecervixslide#181 Examplesofsimplecolumnarepitheliumliningthesurfaceoftheuterus(black
arrow)anduterineglands(bluearrow).Noticehowthesimplecolumnarcellsaretallerthantheyarewideand
thenucleiareelongatedandlocatedatthebasalregionofthecells.Dontletthelayeringofnucleidueto
planeofsectionfoolyouintothinkingthisisastratifiedepithelium.Remembertoscantheepitheliumforthe
simplestregion(i.e.allnucleiappeartobeinonelayer)andusethatareatoclassifytheepithelium.Theloose
CTseenhereishighlycellularandcontainsfineCTfibersgivingitapalepinkappearance.
NWUterinecervixslide#181 Examplesofsimplecolumnarepithelium(blackarrow)andstratified
squamousepithelium,nonkeratinized(bluearrow).Noticehowthesimplecolumnarcellsliningtheuterine
cervixtransitionstostratifiedsquamousepithelium.Manylayersofnucleicanbeseenandthecellsnearest
thefreesurfacearesquamousinappearance.Besuretozoominandlookatthetransitionathighermag.Also
noticethehighlycellularlooseCTwithpaleeosinophilic CTfibers.Whattissuedoyouthinkisfoundinthearea
indicatedbythe?.IsthisalsoCT?Whyorwhynot?

?
NWJejunum#135 Examplesofsimplecolumnarepithelium(blackarrow)andgobletcells (singlecellglands)
(bluearrow).Noticehowthesimplecolumnarcellsaretallerthantheyarewideandthenucleiareovalor
elongatedandlocatedatthebasalregion ofthecells.Someareasmayappeartobestratified(redarrow),but.
remembertofindthesimplestregionoftheliningepitheliumtomakeyourclassification.Also,identifygoblet
cells,singlecellmucousproducingglandsthathaveaclear,cupshapedapicalcytoplasm,andaredispersed
randomlyamongstthecolumnarepithelium.Alsonoticetheloose/areolarCT(calledlaminapropria intheGI
tract).ItisrichlycellularandcontainsnumerousdiffuselymphaticcellsthatmakeitdifficulttoseetheCT
fibers.TissueprocessingerrorshavecauseddisruptionoftheCTinthesevillileavinglargeemptyspaces.
NWJejunum#130 Athighmagnotethepresenceofthebrushborder(microvilli)onsurfaceofthesimple
columnarepitheliumliningtheintestinalvilli.Thisisseenasadiscreteeosinophilic linealongsurfaceofthe
epithelium(arrows)duetotheabundanceofactinandintermediatefilamentsintheterminalwebunderlying
themicrovilliandactinfilamentsinthemicrovilli.Canyouidentifytheapicalandbasalsurfacesofthe
epitheliumseenhere?Whatcytologicalfeatureshelpedyoudeterminethis?
NWColon#138 Exampleofsimplecolumnarepitheliumwithmanygobletcells.Notethehighlycellularloose
CTorlaminapropria (LP,star)directlyunderneaththeepitheliumthatcontainsabundantlymphocytes.Also
notetheintenseeosinophilic layerunderlyingtheepitheliumandLP,whichissmoothmuscle(yellowarrow)
andcanbedistinguishedfromthepalerstainingDICT(blacklinespansthisregion)thatsitsdirectlybelowthe
smoothmusclelayer.Notethattheeosinophilic CTfibersintheDICT stainlessintenselycomparedtothe
smoothmusclelayer.Canyouexplainwhythisisthecase?
NWTrachea#93 Pseudostratified columnarciliatedepithelium(blackarrow)linesthesurfaceofthetrachea.
Notethatthereappearstobemultiplelayersofepithelialcells(nucleiarestackedontopofeachother).
However,allofthecellsareincontactwiththebasementmembranemakingthisepitheliumfalselyappearto
bestratified.ATEMimageofthetracheawouldallowyoutoseeallcellscontactingthebasementmembrane.
Notethecolumnarappearanceofmanyofthesecellsandtheeasilyvisualizedcilia,acellsurface
specialization,withunderlyingbasalbodies(yellowarrow).Simplecuboidalepitheliumispresentinthegland
locatedwithintheDICT(greenarrow).NotetheappearanceofthelooseCTunderlyingthepseudostratified
epithelium.Ithasfineconnectivetissuefibersandisrichlycellular.WhatcelltypeswouldyoufindinthisCT?
Bloomington,Malereproductivetractfolder,epididymis#5 Exampleofpseudostratified columnarepitheliumwithstereocilia.
Herethereare2layersofepithelialcells,tallcolumnarcellsthataretallerthantheyarewidewithprominentelongatednuclei
locatedatthebasalregionofthecells(blackarrow).Underlyingthecolumnarcellsaresimplecuboidalcells(yellowarrow)that
containroundcentrallylocatednuclei.Itisdifficulttoappreciateherethatbothofthesetypesofepithelialcellsareinfactincontact
withthebasementmembrane,makingthisapseudostratified epithelium.Alsonotetheprominentcellsurfacespecializationofvery
longstereocilia.Terminalbars,eosinophilic punctatestructures(bluearrow),consistingoftightjunctions,adherens junctionsand
actinfibersareeasilyvisualizedinthisepithelium.Whatcytoskeletalfilamentformsthecoreofstereocilia?
NWOlfactoryepithelium#64 Exampleofpseudostratified columnarepitheliumwithcilia.Hereitappearsthat
therearemultiplecelllayersinthisepitheliumbecauseyoucanseenucleistackeduponeachother.Believeit
ornot,thisisapsuedostratified epithelium.Allofthesecellscontactthebasementmembrane,althoughnot
allofthemreachthefreesurface.Zoominandnotethattheapicalsurfacecontainscilia.Otherfeaturesto
noteinthistissuearetheductsofglandularepitheliumlinedbysimplecuboidalepithelium(blackarrows),
numerousbloodvesselslinedbysimplesquamousepithelium(yellowarrows),andnervetissuethatyoullbe
learningaboutsoon(bluearrows).ItsanotherlookalikeformuscleandCT.
NWSkin#73 Exampleofstratifiedsquamouskeratinizedepithelium(blackarrowindicateskeratinization,
thatsnothistologicalschmutz).Notethemultiplelayersofepithelialcells,thesurfacecellsaresquamousin
appearance,thekeratinizedlayerlacksnuclei,andmelaninpigmentisvisibleasabrowncolorlocatednearthe
basalcellsoftheepithelium(bluearrow).ThisisalsoagoodexampleoflooseCTofthepapillarydermisthat
directlyunderliestheepitheliumandDICTofthereticulardermisthatsitsbelowthelooseCT.Blackline
approximatelydividesthelooseandDICT.NoticethelargebundlesofCTfibersintheDICTcomparedtothe
relativelysmoothappearanceofthefibersinthelooseCTandalsohowthelooseCTisrelativelymorecellular
thantheDICT.ThelargerbundlesofCTfibersinDICTseparateduringtissueprocessingleavingwhitespaces.
NWEsophagus#121 Exampleofstratifiedsquamous,nonkeratinizedepitheliumliningtheesophagus.Note
themultiplelayersofnuclei.Thelargernucleartocytoplasmicratiointhebasallayerofthisepitheliummakes
thisregionoftheepitheliumappearmorebasophilic(blackarrow).Asthecellsdifferentiateandmovetoward
thefreesurface(followthebluearrowtowardsitstip),thecellsinitiallyappearlarger,thenucleimore
euchromatic,andtheyproducemorekeratin.Nearthefreesurfacethecellsbecomesquamous,andtheir
nucleibecomesmallerandflattened.Rememberthattheappearanceofthesurfacecellsareusedtoclassify
thisepitheliumasstratifiedsquamous.TheyellowarrowindicatestheunderlyinglooseCT,whichishighly
cellularandhassmallCTfibers.
NWParotidgland#135 Exampleofstratifiedcuboidaltocolumnarepithelium.Theductsofthemajor
salivaryglandsareoneofthefewplacesyoullfindstratifiedcuboidaltocolumnarepithelium(starisinlumen
ofexcretoryduct).Zoominandnotehowthereare2layersofepithelium,withtheuppermostbeingcuboidal
tolowcolumnarinshape.Takeamomenttostudythefeaturesoftheseroussecretingglandularepitheliumof
theparotidgland(arrows).Wherearethebasalandapicalregionsoftheglandularepithelium?Also,notethe
DICTsurroundingtheductandbloodvessels.Whattypeofepitheliumlinesthebloodvesselsseentotheleft
oftheduct?
NWUrinarybladder#158 Exampleoftransitionalepithelium.Thisisastratifiedepithelium,multiplecelllayersarevisible.Note
thedomeshapedappearanceofthesurfacelayerofepithelialcells(a.k.a umbrellacells,bluearrow)andprominentovalshaped
nucleithatdifferinappearancefromtheflattenednucleiinsurfacecellsofstratifiedsquamousepithelia.Thesecellshavefoldsin
theplasmamembranethatopenwhenthebladderisfull,givingthemamoresquamousappearance.Thus,youmayseeboth
umbrellashapedandsquamousshaped(greenarrow)surfaceepithelialcellsinthebladder.LooseCTsitsdirectlybelowthe
epitheliumandDICTisbelowthelooseCT.NotethecellularityandsmoothappearanceoftheCTfibersinthelooseCTvs.the
largebundlesofCTfibersthatseparateduringprocessingintheDICT(blacklineapproximatelymarkstheDICT).Striatedmuscle
fibersincrosssection(yellowarrow)arealsoseenwithintheDICT.Noticehowthesearemoreeosinophilic thanthesurrounding
CTfibers.
NWThickskin#72Exampleofsimplecoiledtubularglandularepitheliumofaneccrine sweatgland(black
arrows)foundinthedermisoftheskin.Threemaintypesofepithelialcellsmakeuptheglands,clearcells,
darkcells,andmyoepithelial cellsorganizedaspseudostratified epithelium.Allthesecellscontactthe
basementmembrane.Thatsureishardtosee,thoughisntit?Thebluearrowsindicateductsofthesweat
gland,whichareanexampleofstratifiedcuboidalepithelium.Therearetwolayersofcellsandthelayerclosest
tothelumeniscuboidalinshape,aboutastallastheyarewide,withcentrallylocatednuclei.Alsonotethe
DICTandadiposetissue.