Lab 3: Tissues - Histology Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering epithelial and connective tissue classifications, cell types, structures, and general characteristics from Biol 71 Lab 3.

Histology

The microscopic study of the structure of biological tissues.

Four Basic Tissue Types

The four primary categories of tissue in the human body: Epithelial, Connective, Muscle, and Nervous tissue.

Epithelial Tissue Characteristics

Tissue characterized by closely packed cells with no room for blood vessels or nerves, possessing a basal surface attached to a basement membrane and a free apical surface.

Basal Surface

The bottom border of an epithelial cell or tissue layer that attaches to the underlying basement membrane.

Apical Surface

The free, unattached upper border of an epithelial cell or tissue layer exposed to an open space or lumen.

Basement Membrane

A thin extracellular membrane layer that anchors the basal surface of epithelial tissue to underlying connective tissue.

Simple Epithelium

An epithelial tissue arrangement consisting of a single layer of cells attached to the basement membrane.

Stratified Epithelium

An epithelial tissue arrangement consisting of multiple stacked layers of cells.

Pseudostratified Epithelium

An epithelial tissue layer that appears to have multiple layers due to nuclei located at different heights, but is actually a single layer of cells attached to the basement membrane.

Squamous Epithelial Cells

Flat, thin epithelial cells.

Cuboidal Epithelial Cells

Cube-shaped epithelial cells that are approximately equal in height and width.

Columnar Epithelial Cells

Tall, column-shaped epithelial cells that are taller than they are wide.

Simple Squamous Epithelial Tissue

A single layer of thin, flattened epithelial cells resting on a basement membrane over connective tissue.

Simple Cuboidal Epithelial Tissue

A single layer of cube-shaped cells surrounding a central lumen, found in organs such as the ovary and thyroid.

Simple Columnar Epithelial Tissue

A single layer of tall cells featuring microvilli on their apical surface, cytoplasm, nuclei, and goblet cells; found in organs such as the gallbladder.

Goblet Cell

A specialized epithelial cell dispersed within columnar epithelium that produces and secretes mucus.

Ciliated Simple Columnar Epithelial Tissue

A single layer of tall columnar cells bearing hair-like cilia on their apical surface to help propel mucus produced by goblet cells.

Stratified Squamous Epithelial Tissue

Epithelial tissue composed of multiple layers of cells, with flattened squamous cells at the free surface and dividing cells at the basement membrane; exists in keratinized and non-keratinized forms.

Stratified Columnar Epithelial Tissue

An epithelial tissue composed of multiple layers of cells, with elongated columnar cells forming the surface layer facing a lumen.

Connective Tissue Characteristics

Tissue characterized by cells spaced farther apart suspended in an extracellular matrix made of protein fibers and ground substance.

Matrix

The extracellular component of connective tissue consisting of protein fibers and ground substance.

Connective Tissue Proper

A classification of connective tissue that includes areolar connective tissue, adipose tissue, and dense connective tissue.

Specialized Connective Tissue

A classification of connective tissue that includes cartilage, bone, and blood.

Fibroblast

A key cell type in connective tissue that synthesizes extracellular fibers and ground substance.

Macrophage

A connective tissue cell that performs phagocytosis by engulfing foreign cells and cellular debris.

Adipocyte

A specialized cell in adipose tissue containing a huge central lipid droplet that displaces the nucleus and organelles to the periphery of the cell.

Mast Cell

A connective tissue cell involved in inflammatory and allergic responses.

Connective Tissue Protein Fibers

The three fibrous structures found within connective tissue matrix: collagen fibers, reticular fibers, and elastic fibers.

Areolar Connective Tissue

A type of loose connective tissue proper featuring collagenous and elastic fibers arranged in many directions with substantial space (ground substance) between fibers and fibroblasts.

Adipose Tissue

A connective tissue proper composed predominantly of adipocytes (fat cells), each containing a large central fat droplet with the cell membrane, nucleus, and organelles pushed to the edge.

Dense Regular Connective Tissue

A connective tissue proper composed of densely packed collagenous fibers all arranged in the same parallel direction, with fibroblast cells squeezed between the fiber bundles.

Hyaline Cartilage

A specialized connective tissue found in structures like the fetal skeleton, featuring a translucent ground substance in the extracellular matrix where chondrocytes sit inside lacunae.

Lacuna

A small cavity or hole within the extracellular matrix of cartilage that houses a chondrocyte.

Chondrocyte

A mature cartilage cell located within a lacuna inside the cartilage matrix.