BIOL302 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Stratified Squamous Epithelium, Pseudostratified Columnar Epithelium, Simple Columnar Epithelium
13 Feb 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Don"t worry about the organs you are looking at right now. Organ systems will be covered in later labs. In today"s lab session try to learn to recognize and classify the different types of epithelia. Do not memorize each type of epithelium but try to identify the major features that distinguish them. Epithelia are sheets of cells that are linked tightly together by intercellular junctions. The major function of epithelia is to form barriers between two compartments. Epithelia are therefore found lining all surfaces and cavities. An epithelium is defined by having a free apical surface, and a basal surface that rests on a non-living layer of extracellular material, the basement membrane. Most basement membranes are too thin to be seen with the light microscope. The basement membrane actually consists of the true basal lamina (secreted by the epithelial cells) as well as the reticular lamina (secreted by cells in the underlying connective tissue).
