epithelium

HISTOLOGY: TISSUES AND MEMBRANES Four Basic Types of Tissue = epithelial tissue, muscular tissue, nervous tissue, and connective tissue • See previous handout which discusses various types of connective tissues TISSUE TYPES AND CHARACTERISTICS (refer to chapter 6 in the lab manual and chapter 3 in the text) EPITHELIAL TISSUE = highly cellular tissue that forms coverings and linings of the body. Epithelial tissue attaches to underlying layers by way of a basement membrane that is a non-cellular adhesive layer. For instance, in the skin, the epidermis is made of epithelial tissue that is attached to the underlying dermis by a basement membrane. The basement membrane consists of glycoproteins and both fine and coarse protein filament which are produced by connective tissue cells. Epithelial tissue is classified according to the shape of the cells and the number of cell layers present. Epithelial cell shapes = squamous (flattened), cuboidal, or columnar Simple epithelium is only one cell...