Types of tissues

1. Epithelial tissue: sheets of cells that cover the exterior of the bodies, internal organs and
cavities, glands
2. Connective tissue: Binds cells and organs together. Protection, support, integration
3. Muscle tissue: excitable, responds to stimulation. Skeletal, smooth, cardiac
4. Nervous tissue: excitable, allows for the propagation of nerve impulses. Brain, spinal cord,
nerves.

1. Epithelial tissue: categories, features, functions, basement membrane, junctions,

classifications, glands

1.1 Epithelial tissue: broad categories

1. Epidermis: external surfaces
a. Dermis (connective tissue) -> skin
2. Mesothelium: internal cavities and organs. Pleura (lungs), pericardium (lining around heart),
chest, abdomen
a. Serous membrane: mesothelium + connective tissue -> produces lubricant
3. Endothelium: blood and lymph vessels
4. Lamina propria: connective tissue underneath epidermis that covers surfaces exposed to
the exterior.
a. Mucous membrane: epithelium + lamina propria

1.2 Basement membrane

1. Basement membrane: provides structural support, scaffold for repair and regeneration
2. Apical surface
3. Basal lamina: attached to epithelium. Glycoproteins, collagen
4. Reticular lamina: produced by the connective tissue

1.3 Cellular junctions: tight, anchoring, gap

5. Tight junction
a. Occludin
b. Claudins
c. JAM
6. Anchoring junctions: desmosome, hemidesmosome, adheren
7. Desmosome
a. Plaque: structural protein on the inner surface of the epithelial cell membrane
b. Cadherin: transmembrane glycoprotein that acts as an adhesion molecule; projects
through the membrane and links to other cadherins
c. Keratin: cytoskeletal filaments, project out of the plaque
8. Hemidesmosome
a. Integrin: transmembrane protein
9. Adheren
a. Actin: contractile protein on the cytoplasmic surface of the cells that can form an
actin belt along the lateral aspects of the cells
10. Gap junctions
a. Connexons (composed of connexins): transmembrane proteins that facilitate the
movement of small molecules and ions between the cytoplasm od adjacent cells

1.4 Classifications
1. Squamous cell type: flattened and thin
2. Cuboidal cell type
3. Columnar cell type
4. Stratified: multiple layers
5. Pseudostratified: single layer of irregular cells
6. Transitional epithelium: as the bladder fills up, apical cells’ shape changes from cuboidal to
squamous

1.5 Glands
1. Serous glands: multicellular exocrine glands that develop from simple epithelium and
secrete directly into the internal cavities of the chest/ abdomen
2. Merocrine secretion: product brought to the apical surface of the cell by vesicles, released
by exocytosis
3. Apocrine secretion: product accumulates near the apical surface, which pinches off
4. Holocrine secretion: the entire cell bursts, releasing accumulated product