Epithelium I

(the first of four tissues)

Reading Assignment:
Junqueira & Carneiro, Chapt. 2&4
Gartner & Hiatt, Chapter 2

Dr. Kelly Selman

November 30, 2007
 Tissues
• Consist of cells and extra-cellular (non-cellular) components
that are organized to perform specific functions
• Have certain morphological and functional characteristics
• Four basic types of tissues:
– Epithelium (lines surfaces; glandular secretions)
– Connective tissue (support & protection)
– Muscle (movement)
– Nerve (conducts impulses)
Paraffin section of the mucosa that lines
the underside of the tongue (H&E)

Epithelium

Connective tissue

Muscle
 Plastic section through the tongue
showing all 4 types of tissue
Muscle

Blood vessel Connective Tissue

Nerve
 Epithelium
Where found?
•Form sheets of cells that cover all internal
and external surfaces. Forms barriers.
•All glands are made up of epithelium, both
the secretory portions and non secretory
portions (ducts).
•Embryological derivation: all 3 germ layers.
•Functions:
Protection Absorption Transport
Secretion Gas Exchange Sensory
**STRUCTURE REFLECTS FUNCTION**
 Morphological characteristics of an
epithelium
• Cells in close apposition (forms sheets of cells)
• Cells rest on a basement membrane (BM)
• Cells are adhesive
– Intercellular junctions
• Tissue is avascular
– Overlies vascular connective tissue (lamina propria)

(BM)
• Epithelia form polarized sheets of cells
– These sheets of cells have a free surface and a surface
that rests on a basement membrane (BM)
• Free surface = apical surface
• Surface on BM = basal surface
– Each cell of an epithelium also has an apical surface
and a basolateral surface with different functions.
Regions maintained, in part, by intercellular junctions
– Surface modifications of cells reflect functions at
those surfaces
 •Organelles are polarized within cells
Exocytosis
Pancreatic
acinar cell

Junqueira & Carneiro Fig. 4-26

 Classification of Epithelia
Based on morphology of cells and NOT on
functional characteristics
• Shape of apical cells • Arrangement of cells
– Simple
– Squamous – Stratified
– Pseudostratified
– Cuboidal – Transitional

– Columnar

• Apical surface specializations

 Classification of Epithelium
Simple Pseudostratified

Stratified Transitional

See: Junqueira & Carneiro (Fig. 4-12)

 Simple squamous epithelium

Endothelium:
a simple squamous
epithelium

4-13 4-14
Junqueira & Carneiro
Duct
 Basement
membrane

A simple
columnar
epithelium
Striated may have
border
at apical more than
surface
1 type cell
within in.
 Pseudostratified columnar epithelium
with cilia (on apical surface)
cilia Free surface

BM

NOTE: All cells rest on Basal surface

basement membrane but
they do not all reach the
Trachea
free surface
 Stratified cuboidal epithelium
(Note: most apical cells are cuboidal in shape)
Duct of mucous gland

See Junqueira and Carneiro, Fig. 4-33

Stratified squamous non-keratinized
epithelium

Nuclei at free surface

 Stratified squamous non-keratinized
epithelium (SSE) of oral mucosa
Free surface
( faces oral cavity)
SSE

Oral mucosa of cheeks

 Stratified squamous keratinized epithelium

Keratinized layer

Epithelium

Thin skin (H&E) Thick skin (H&E)

 Transitional Epithelium

Basement membrane

Urinary bladder, H&E

Characterized by several layers of nuclei, apical cells

that bulge into the lumen and some cells with 2 nuclei
 SEM basement membrane

Basement membrane

Basement membrane
 Basement membrane (PAS+)
Intestinal
lumen

Basement membrane
at basal surface (PAS+)

Intestinal
lumen

Apical surface
 Basement membrane
--Thin sheet of extracellular material
at the basal surface of all epithelia
--Separates epithelia from the underlying CT
--Structural attachment site for its overlying epithelial cells and its
underlying CT
--Synthesized primarily by overlying epithelial cells (+/- CT
cells); it is part of extracellular matrix
--Not visible in LM with H&E staining but is PAS+
--“Basement membrane” is LM term
--Not just found associated with epithelia; “External lamina” in other
tissue (i.e., muscle cells,
adipocytes and Schwann cells)
In the TEM Basement membrane may consist of 2
regions (basal lamina & reticular lamina)

Basal cytoplasm
of epithelial cell

Basal lamina (or

Lamina densa)

Basement membrane in LM (PAS+)

BM has basal lamina and reticular lamina
Components of basement membrane
Basal lamina: always present, synthesized by
epithelial cells, visible only by TEM
• Lamina lucida (Lamina rara):
– translucent & closest to cell membrane
– contains fine strands that connect cell to
lamina densa
• Lamina densa:
– electron dense layer (20-100 nm)
– meshwork randomly-woven 4 nm filaments
(Type IV collagen)
Reticular lamina: not always present, contains reticular
fibers & is made by underlying CT cells
 Composition of Basal lamina
• Type IV collagen
– primarily in lamina densa
– structural; meshwork is physical filter
– serves as attachment substrate with specific binding sites
• Laminin
– Cross-shaped multiadhesive glycoprotein primarily in lamina lucida
– “glue” between cell membrane (integrins) and lamina densa (type IV collagen)
– has binding sites for integrins and Type IV collagen
• Perlecan: A heparan sulphate containing proteoglycan
-It is highly negatively charged and thus helps regulate permeability of BL based
on charge
 Cytoskeleton-plasma membrane-basal lamina
Cytoplasm
Cytoskeleton
(inside cell)

Cell
membrane

Plasma membrane

Basal lamina
Extracellular
Laminin (outside cell)
matrix Integrins
Type IV collagen
Integrins: a family of trans-membrane linker proteins that function
as matrix receptors (fibronectin receptor, laminin receptor, collagen
receptor…..)
 Functions of Basal lamina
• Adhesion of epithelial cells to underlying CT (not just
epithelial cells [“external lamina”] )
• Selective permeability barrier (filter based on charge
and size [<50 kD])
• NOT a diffusion barrier (epithelium is avascular)
• Good substrate for cell migration (during wound repair
and embryonic development)
• Barrier that is critical to “metastatic potential” of
epithelial cancer cells (carcinomas).
-A carcinoma in situ has not breached the basement membrane
 Surface
specializations of
epithelial cells
Epithelial cells have specializations at their
surfaces that reflect the function of the cell at
that surface.
1. Apical surface: microvilli, cilia, stereocilia
2. Lateral surface: intercellular junctions
3. Basal surface: basement membrane,
junctional specializations, plasma
membrane interdigitations
Cytoskeleton (Review in J&C, p.43-48)

• Microfilaments - composed of actin, ~7 nm in diameter

• Intermediate filaments - composed of tissue-specific IF
proteins (e.g., keratin, vimentin), ~10 nm in diameter
• Microtubules - composed of tubulin, ~25 nm in diameter
 Apical specializations

• Microvilli
– Finger-like processes extending from apical
surface (1-2 µm in length)
– Have a core of actin filaments (6 nm thin,
“microfilaments”)
– Very extensive in absorptive epithelium
(increase surface area), called “striated
border” or “brush border”
– Bundles of actin filaments extend into
region of cell called: “terminal web”
 Simple columnar epithelium with
striated border

Striated border

Terminal web

Small intestine, plastic section, toluidine blue

 Microvilli (TEM)

*
Terminal web *

*
 Microvillus-Terminal Web
Terminal web Microvilli Cell coat

Actin

Actin filaments
of the microvillus
extend into the
terminal web Junqueira & Carneiro Fig. 4-8
 Cilia
• Long (5-10µm) cytoplasmic extensions
• Do NOT have a core of actin filaments
• Have a complex arrangement of
microtubules (9+2) called “axoneme”
• Tubulin is the major protein within cilia
• Facilitate flow of fluid over an epithelium
(tubular organ like trachea)
 Cilia

Pseudostratified columnar
epithelium with cilia Trachea H&E

SEM LM
 Cilia and basal bodies

cilia

Basal body

Junqueira & Carneiro Fig. 4-

Microtubules
 Kartagener’s Syndrome (KS)
“Immotile-cilia syndrome”
•Autosomal recessive dissease (1/32000 live births in US)
• Patients present with:
•chronic upper and lower respiratory tract disease
(resulting from ineffective mucociliary clearance)
•Sterility in males
•~50% display situs inversus (transposed viscera)
•Biopsy examinations reveal abnormal and/or non-
motile cilia
Normal KS Dynein arms
 Stereocilia

Epididymis, H&E

Long, immotile, branched microvilli that are found in the

male reproductive tract
 Intercellular Junctions
Lumen

BM
 Laboratory 2
Slide Preview
The Cell & Epithelium I
Slide 94e: Epididymis (H&E)
 Golgi complex

Slide 94e: Epididymis (H&E)

This slide demonstrates a “negatively stained” Golgi complex
Slide 94f: Epididymis, (Golgi complex, Osmium tetroxide fixed & stained)
 Nucleus

Osmium
Stained Golgi

Sperm

This slide demonstrates an Osmium stained Golgi complex

Lumen with sperm

nucleus *
Golgi *

*
Slide 65d, Liver, plastic (H&E)
Slide 65d, Liver, plastic (H&E)
Slide 65e, Liver, glutaraldehyde/OsO4 fixation, plastic, toluidine blue
Toluidine blue: metachromatic dye that stains glycogen magenta
 RBC

Lipid
droplets

Nucleolus Mitochondria

Slide 65e, Liver, glutaraldehyde/OsO4 fixation, plastic, toluidine blue

Liver hepatocyte (from EM packet)
TEM of liver hepatocyte
Lumen

Slide 55d, Pyloric stomach (plastic, H&E)

Endothelium

Mesothelium

Slide 55d, Pyloric stomach (plastic, H&E)

Slide 82a, thyroid, H&E
Slide 82a, thyroid, H&E
DENTAL CLASS of 2011

UF