Skip to main content
Back

Anatomy & Physiology: Tissue Types and Characteristics

Control buttons has been changed to "navigation" mode.
1/30
  • Four basic types of tissues

    Epithelial (covering and secretion), Connective (support and attachment), Muscle (movement), Nervous (electrical impulse transmission).

  • Functions of epithelial tissue

    Protection, absorption, filtration, excretion (waste removal), and secretion (purposeful, e.g., sweat).

  • General characteristics of epithelial tissue

    Cellularity (tightly packed cells), contacts (tight junctions, desmosomes), polarity (apical surface and basement membrane), innervated, and highly regenerative.

  • Apical surface of epithelial tissue

    Exposed to cavity, involved in absorption and secretion, may have microvilli or cilia.

  • Basement membrane composition

    Made of glycoproteins, acellular; consists of basal lamina (secreted by epithelial cells) and reticular lamina (made by connective tissue).

  • Types of cell junctions in epithelia

    Tight junctions (water tight), gap junctions (interlocking proteins), desmosomes (resist stretching and twisting).

  • Classification of epithelial tissue by layers and shape

    Layers: simple (one layer), stratified (multiple layers). Shapes: squamous (flat), cuboidal (cube-shaped), columnar (tall).

  • Simple squamous epithelium function and location

    One layer of flat cells; functions in diffusion and filtration; found in endothelium (cardiovascular) and mesothelium (serous membranes).

  • Simple cuboidal epithelium function and location

    One layer of cube cells; absorption and secretion; found in kidney tubules, salivary glands, pancreas.

  • Simple columnar epithelium features

    One layer of column cells; functions in diffusion, secretion, protection, absorption; may have microvilli and goblet cells; located in digestive and respiratory tracts.

  • Pseudostratified ciliated columnar epithelium

    Appears stratified but is single-layered; found in respiratory tract and male reproductive tract; functions in mucus production and protection.

  • Stratified squamous epithelium function and types

    Multiple layers of flat cells; main function is protection; keratinized type waterproofs (skin), non-keratinized stays moist (mouth, esophagus).

  • Transitional epithelium characteristics

    Ability to stretch; apical cells change shape; found in urinary bladder, ureters, urethra; allows holding changing fluid volumes.

  • Exocrine vs endocrine glands

    Exocrine glands have ducts and secrete externally; endocrine glands are ductless and secrete hormones internally.

  • Modes of exocrine gland secretion

    Merocrine (exocytosis, no cell damage), holocrine (cells burst), apocrine (loss of cytoplasm and product).

  • Connective tissue functions

    Protection, support, insulation, energy reserves, and transportation.

  • Structural elements of connective tissue

    Ground substance (amorphous matrix), fibers (collagen, elastic, reticular), and cells (fibroblasts, adipocytes, macrophages).

  • Types of connective tissue proper

    Loose connective tissue (areolar, adipose, reticular) and dense connective tissue (regular and irregular).

  • Characteristics of cartilage

    Flexible, tough, withstands tension and compression, avascular, cells called chondrocytes, slow repair.

  • Three types of cartilage

    Hyaline (firm support), elastic (flexible), fibrocartilage (strong, resists pressure).

  • Bone (osseous tissue) features

    Supports soft tissue, stores fat, synthesizes blood; osteoblasts deposit calcium salts; well vascularized.

  • Epithelial membranes types

    Mucous (line cavities open to outside), serous (line closed cavities), cutaneous (skin), synovial (joint cavities).

  • Skeletal muscle tissue characteristics

    Voluntary, striated, long cylindrical multinucleate cells, movement by pulling, cannot divide but satellite cells regenerate.

  • Cardiac muscle tissue characteristics

    Involuntary, striated, branched short cells, uni-nucleate, intercalated discs, limited repair ability.

  • Smooth muscle tissue characteristics

    Involuntary, no striations, spindle-shaped cells, uni-nucleate, found in walls of hollow organs.

  • Nervous tissue components

    Brain, spinal cord, nerves; neurons conduct electrical impulses; neuroglia support cells.

  • Two major ways of tissue repair

    Regeneration (replacement with same tissue) and fibrosis (scar tissue formation).

  • Tissue repair steps

    Inflammation (clotting and immune response), organization (restoring blood flow, granulation tissue), regeneration or fibrosis.

  • Tissues with high regeneration capacity

    Epithelial, bone, areolar CT, dense irregular CT, blood-forming tissue.

  • Tissues with no regeneration capacity

    Cardiac muscle and nervous tissue (brain and spinal cord), replaced by scar tissue.