B3 Tissue structure and function

KEY IDEA:

A collection of differentiated cells that perform a specific function is

called a tissue.

17. Epithelial tissue

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

You
LO1: MUST identify a variety of specialised cells
LO2: SHOULD link their structure to their function
within the organism

LO3: COULD

explain how surface area affects the rate of

movement of substances in and out of cells.

A collection of differentiated cells that

perform a specific function is called a
tissue.
There are four main tissue types in
animals:
epithelium
muscle
connective (supports, connects or
separates different types of tissues and
organs in the body)
nervous.

Epithelial tissue
Epithelial tissues are found lining organs
and surfaces.
Epithelial tissues can be divided into
different types:
squamous epithelial tissue
columnar epithelial tissue
endothelium tissue.

Epithelium: Types of simple

epithelium

Squamous
Squamous means scale-like.
Simple squamous epithelium is
a single layer of flat scaleshaped cells.
Both the endothelial lining of
blood vessels and the
mesothelial lining of the body

Simple squamous epithelial tissue is a lining tissue

and is one cell thick.
It is made from flattened specialised squamous
epithelial cells. These cells form a thin, smooth, flat
layer.
This makes them ideal when rapid diffusion is
necessary.
They line various structures.
An example is the alveoli in the lungs where they
provide a short diffusion pathway to allow rapid
diffusion of oxygen into the blood and carbon
dioxide into the lungs.

Epithelium cells can be damaged by smoking.

Smoking irritates and causes inflammation and
scarring in the epithelium tissue of the lungs. The
alveoli walls become thicker due to scarring and
produce more mucus. The damage to the air sacs
causes emphysema and the lungs lose their
natural elasticity. This causes:
breathlessness
persistent coughing
phlegm.
These symptoms are all associated with Chronic
Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD).

Cuboidal epithelial
Lines small ducts, tubules.
cells
It can have an excretory,
secretory or absorptive
function - i.e. in salivary
glands.

This image is of ducts in the kidney,

which are lined by simple cuboidal
epithelium.

Columnar epithelial
cells

This picture shows columnar cells from the

stomach. A few of the cells are outlined, to help
you identify them.

All the cells are

attached to the
underlying
basement
membrane, but
the nuclei are at
different heights,
giving the
appearance of a
'stratified'
epithelium.
Hence this is a
'pseudostratified'
epithelium, as it
is in reality a
single layer of

Ciliated columnar epithelial tissue

Ciliated columnar epithelium tissue is made up of
column-shaped ciliated cells with hair-like
structures called cilia covering the exposed cell
surface.
Ciliated epithelium line the trachea in the respiratory
system in order to protect the lungs from infection.
They do this by sweeping any pathogens away from
the lungs.
Goblet cells are column shaped and are also present
in the respiratory tract. They secrete mucus to help
trap any unwanted particles that are present in the air
that you breathe in. This protects your lungs because

Trachea lining.
Coloured scanning electron
micrograph (SEM) of a section
through the wall of a trachea (wind
pipe).
The trachea links the larynx to the
lungs.
The lining consists of mucussecreting goblet cells (one seen at
centre, pink) and epithelial cells
(vertical) that are covered in cilia
(hair-like).
Mucus traps debris, such as dust
particles or bacteria, in the inhaled
air, while the beating of the cilia
moves the mucus and particles
upwards out of the respiratory
tract.

Human cilia in the

trachea.
Smoking can destroy
the cilia. What effect
will this have?

Scanning electron microscope image of lung

trachea epithelium. There are both ciliated and onciliated cells in this epithelium. Note the difference
in size between the cilia and the microvilli(on non-

Trachea, 8000x magnification, by

Tracy Anderson
This is the inner surface of a
trachea which was captured under
the Scanning Electron Microscope
(SEM).
The cilia, which are each about
1/4 of a micron in diameter, keep
your air passages clean by
sweeping out debris.
The round goblet cells also help
keep us healthy by secreting
mucus, which stops dust,
allergens, and pathogens from
reaching our lungs.

Human
respiratory
tract. What role
do the cilia
perform? Why
is mucus
produced?

Human oviduct
ciliated
epithelium.
What role does
it perform?

Endothelial tissue
Endothelial tissue consists of a
layer of flattened cells, one layer
thick.
It is found lining the heart, blood
vessels and lymphatic vessels
(vessels that make up the
lymphatic system).
The cells provide a short diffusion
pathway for the movement of
various substances, such as:
products of digestion into blood
capillaries

Endotheliumisatype of
epitheliumthatlinestheinterior
surfaceofblood vessels and
lymphatic vessels,formingan
interfacebetweencirculatingblood
orlymphinthelumenandtherest
ofthevesselwall.Itisathinlayer
ofsimplesquamous cells
calledendothelialcells.

There are a number of risk factors that can cause

damage to the endothelium.
Carbon monoxide and high blood pressure can
damage the inner lining of the arteries. White blood
cells repair the damage and encourage the growth of
smooth muscle and the deposition of fatty substances
such as cholesterol under the endothelium lining
of arteries, not on the surface. This process of
deposition is called atherosclerosis.
These deposits, called atheromas, may build up
enough to break through the inner endothelial lining
of the artery, eventually forming plaques in the
lumen of the artery.

Lumen the space inside a structure.

from the heart.

Artery blood vessel that carries blood away