EPITHELIAL TISSUE

Lecturer: Raluca Balan

TISSUES
Four main types of adult/mature
tissues
Epithelial
Connective
Muscular
Nervous

EMBRIONAR TISSUES

Embrionar disc (stem cells source)

Endodermis
Internal layer
Forms the lining epithelium of
digestive tract and digestive
glands, the epithelium of
respiratory system
Mesodermis
Middle layer
Forms the muscular tissue,
bone, blood vessels
(endothelium), mesothelium,
the epithelia of kidney and
female and male genital organs
Ectodermis
External layer
Forms the skin, the epithelium
of oral cavity, nose,
neuroectodermis

Definition
EPITHELIUM REPRESENTS ONE/MORE
CELLULAR LAYERS WHICH REST ON
A BASEMENT MEMBRANE
Epithelia cover the external surfaces of the
body, its serous cavities, outer and inner
surfaces of many internal organs, form
secretory units and line excretory ducts of
exocrine glands

GENERAL FEATURES OF THE

EPITHELIA

The cells form layers

Basement membrane
The cells are tightly bound to each other
The cells present polarity (apical and
basal pole)
Nonvascular
No intercellular matrix

EPITHELIA CHARACTERISTICS

Cellularity formed almost

exclusively of cells
Cover the surface of the organism,
line cavitar organs, form glands
The external surface of the body
Line digestive, respiratory,
urinary systems
Heart and blood vessels
Line cavities
Polarity apical, basal and lateral
surfaces
Rest on a BM
Specialized intercellular contacts
bound the cells between them
Nonvascular
Regenerative replace dead cells
through cell division

EPITHELIA CHARACTERISTICS

Epithelia functions
The protection of subjacent structures (ex. the epithelium
of oral cavity)
Action as barriers (ex. skin)
Permit the passage of certain substances (ex. the cells
of lung alveoli, nephrons in kidney)
Secrete substances (ex. pancreatic cells)
Absorbtion of substances (ex. intestinal epithelial cells)

CLASSIFICATION OF
EPITHELIAL TISSUE
By origin
Ectodermal epithelia (epidermal; ependymoglial)
Entodermal epithelia
Coelomic nephrodermal epithelia
Mesodermal epithelia
Mesenchymal epithelia (angiodermal)

By location and function

Surface epithelia
cover organs from outer and inner surfaces
Glandular epithelia
form secretory portions and line excretory ducts of exocrine glands
Sensorial epithelia
form sense organs, sensorial structures

CLASSIFICATION OF LINING
EPITHELIA
The number of cell layers
Simple- one cell layer. All the cells are rest on a BM
Stratified- two/more cell layers
Pseudostratified- the tissues present a stratified
appearance, but all cells have contact with BM, thus
they are simple
Transitional (urothelium)

The cell shape

Pavimentous (squamous)- flat
Cuboidal- equal as height and width
Columnar (Tall prismatic)- the height is bigger than
the other dimensions

CLASSIFICATION OF LINING
EPITHELIA

SIMPLE SQUAMOUS EPITHELIUM

SIMPLE SQUAMOUS EPITHELIA

SIMPLE CUBOIDAL
EPITHELIUM

SIMPLE CUBOIDAL
EPITHELIUM

COLUMNAR SIMPLE
EPITHELIUM

COLUMNAR SIMPLE
EPITHELIUM

COLUMNAR SIMPLE
EPITHELIUM

THE GOBLET CELL

- numerous mucous droplets
which dstend the lateral
margins and push the
nucleus toward the
periphery of the cell
- localized in intestinal and
respiratory epithelium
- lubrication and

protection of respective
epithelium

PSEUDOSTRATIFIED EPITHELIUM

PSEUDOSTRATIFIED EPITHELIUM

PSEUDOSTRATIFIED EPITHELIUM

Name of lining epithelia

- are named according to the
number of cell layers
between the basal lamina
and the free surface and by
the morphology of the
epithelial cells.
- stratified epithelia are
named by the morphology
of the cells in their
superficial layer only.

This classification is based on the main principle:

cells' relationship to the basement membrane

SIMPLE (NON-STRATIFIED)
EPITHELIA

all epithelial cells lie on the basement

membrane

simple squamous
simple cuboidal (low columnar)
simple columnar (cylindrical)
pseudostratified columnar

STRATIFIED EPITHELIA
not all epithelial cells lie on the
basement membrane

stratified cuboidal or columnar

stratified squamous
nonkeratinized
stratified squamous keratinized
SSqE possess nuclear
polymorphism
transitional epithelium
(urothelium)

villous (brush) - if epithelium

possesses cells with apical microvilli

ciliated - if there are cells with cilia

STRATIFIED SQUAMOUS EPITHELIUM

Description
Numerous cell layers the superficial ones
are squamous
The more profound cells are cuboidal and
prismatic
The thickest epithelial tissue adapted to
protection

STRATIFIED SQUAMOUS EPITHELIUM

Function protects the subjacent tissues
from the areas which are exposed to
abrasion
Localisation
Keratinized epidermis
Nonkeratinized line esophagus, oral cavity,
vagina

STRATIFIED SQUAMOUS EPITHELIUM

THICK AND THIN EPIDERMIS

BISTRATIFIED CUBOIDAL
EPITHELIUM

STRATIFIED COLUMNAR EPITHELIUM

Basal layer regenerative; cuboidal-polyedrical
cells
Superficial layer tall prismatic (columnar)
cells
Between them several layers of polyedrical
cells without the features of cells from stratum
spinosum
Localisation: certain regions of membranous
and spongious urethra, small areas of anal
mucosa, large ducts of exocrine glands

TRANSITIONAL EPITHELIUM

BASEMENT MEMBRANE
Can not be observed
in routine technique in
light microscopy (only
with silver salts and
PAS technique)
Straight/waved

BASEMENT MEMBRANE
In EM there are observed 3 regions:
Lamina lucida the area toward the epithelium, etransparent
Lamina densa the central part, e-opaque (50-100nm)mainly nonfibrilar col IV
Lamina reticularis e-transparent, toward connective
tissue (fibrilar structures reactiv with silver salts)
PG, laminin, fibronectin, entactin, integrins (basal pole of
the cell, R for fibronectin and laminin)

THE FUNCTIONS OF BASEMENT

MEMBRANE
Adherence of the epithelium to the
subjacent connective tissue
(hemidesmosomes)
Can influence the differentiation and
proliferation of the connected epithelial
cells
Selective barrier in movements of the
substances (O, nutritive materials)
between interstitium and epithelial cells

BASEMENT MEMBRANE

SPECIALISATIONS OF THE LATERAL

SURFACES
Tight junctions
Anchoring junctions: adherentes junctions,
desmosomes, hemidesmosomes
Communication junctions - gap
Increase the cell adhesion, but promote
also the cell contacts

TIGHT JUNCTIONS AND ZA

Zonula occludens the apical part of

lateral surface
Stumble the lumen substances to
cross the epithelium through
intercellular space, mechanic role in
maintaining the epithelium integrity
Permeable epithelia few contact
points (renal tubesi); nonpermeable
epithelia numerous contact points
(intestine, urinary bladder)
Zonula adherens anchoring
junctional complexes, under ZO, on
the cytoplasmatic part present a dense
area of fine and filamentous material,
moderately e-dense continous band
around the cell, paralle with ZO

DESMOSOMES (MACULA
ADHERENS)
Two discoidal plates connected toward the intercellular
spaces
Plates (amorphous, dense material) are connected by
proteins cadherins
Interdigitated proteins in extracellular space
Intermediate filaments (tonofilaments) insert in plates
from cytoplasmic surfaces
Localisation: epithelia which are subject for physical
forces (epidermis, other stratified squamous epithelia)
These areas intercellular spines - desmosomes

DESMOSOMES

DESMOSOMES

HEMIDESMOSOMES

Half desmosomes
At the basal surface of certain
stratified squamous epithelia
Make the connection with
adjacent lamina basalis
Variable structure according to
the epithelium
A cell component
(cytoplasmatic fibers) and an
extracellular component (clear
zone, dense zone, clear zone,
lamina basalis)

GAP JUNCTIONS
Specialized regions of membranes of two
adjacent cells which are close, but without
their apposition
The aspect of a plate, the intercellular
space very narrowed
Mediates the tide stream between cells,
permeable to ions, substances with small
molecular weight

MICROVILLI
- cylindrical, membrane-bound projections
of the cytoplasm emanating from the apical
(luminal) surface of these cells.
- represent the striated border of the
intestinal absorptive cells and the brush
border of the kidney proximal tubule cells
observed by light microscopy.
In less active cells, microvilli may be sparse
and short; in intestinal epithelia, they are
crowded and 1 to 2 m in length.
- each microvillus contains a core of 25 to
30 actin filaments, cross-linked by villin,
attached to an amorphous region at its tip and
extending into the cytoplasm, where the actin
filaments are embedded in the terminal web.
- the terminal web is a complex of actin and
spectrin molecules as well as intermediate
filaments located at the cortex of the
epithelial cells.

CILIA
- hair-like projections (diameter, 0.2 m; length, 7 to
10 m) that emanate from the surface of certain
epithelial cells.
In the ciliated epithelia of the respiratory system (e.g.,
trachea and bronchi) and in the oviduct, there may be
hundreds of cilia in orderly arrays on the luminal
surface of the cells.
- EM: cilia possess a specific internal structure that
is consistently conserved throughout the plant and
animal kingdoms.
- the core of the cilium contains a complex of
uniformly arranged microtubules called the axoneme,
which has a constant number of longitudinal
microtubules arranged in a consistent 9 + 2
organization.
- two centrally placed microtubules (singlets) are
evenly surrounded by nine doublets of microtubules,
with two subunits. Subunit A is a microtubule
composed of 13 protofilaments, exhibiting a circular
profile. Subunit B possesses 10 protofilaments,
exhibits an incomplete circular profile in crosssection, and - - Radial spokes project from subunit A
of each doublet inward toward the central sheath
surrounding the two singlets.

STEREOCILIA

Long, imotile cytoplasmatic

expansions, whose form and
structure remind large MV
which aglutinate at their free
margin
Devoid of axoneme, contain in
the center actin filaments
The apical pole of the cells
which line male genital ducts
Facilitate the absorbtive
capacity of the epididimis
epithelium and defferent duct

CUTICULE
In urothelium
A condensation immediat beneath the
apical pole membrane
Impremeabilisation of the mucosa
The plasmatic membrane posseses in
empty urinary bladder numerous folds
which enter deep in the cell the increase
of the surface during distension

Respiratory epithelium

Urothelium

Thick Epidermis

Stratified squamous epithelium