Lab 9: Animal Tissues

Basic Biology

BIOL 223
 ILOs
1. Be able to list the major functions of each of the four
major animal tissue types.
2. Distinguish between simple and stratified epithelial
tissue.
3. Compare and contrast the different types of connective
tissues: loose, dense, fibrous, cartilage, bone, blood,
adipose. Be able to list the function of each type.
4. Know the three types of muscle and be able to
differentiate them visually and according to their
functions.
5. Be able to diagram a typical neuron and its three areas:
dendrite, axon, and cell body.
 Levels of Organization in
Living Things

A tissue is a group of connected cells that have a similar function within an organism.
 Types of Animal Tissues

Animal tissues are classified into 4 groups depending on their location, structure and
function.
 Epithelial Tissues
 Made up of layers of tightly packed cells that line the surfaces of
the body (inner walls of the digestive tract). The cells are thin and
lower most layer rest in a basement membrane.

Functions:

 Coverage & Protection

 Secretion
 Absorption

Examples of epithelial tissue include the skin, the lining of the mouth
and nose, and the lining of the digestive system.
 Epithelial Tissues
Epithelial tissues are classified according to:

1. Cell shape: Squamous, Cuboidal or Columnar.

2. Number of layers formed by the cells: Simple, Stratified or
Pseudostratified.

■THEIR FUNCTION IS RELATED TO THEIR STRUCTURE (PASSIFS)

Protection, Absorption, Secretion, Sensation, Ion transport, Fluid
Filtration, Slippery surface
Transitional epithelium is a stratified epithelium
where the cells constituting the tissue can change
in shape depending on the degree of stretching in
the organ. This epithelium is found lining the
urinary bladder, ureters and urethra, as well as in
the ducts of the prostrate gland.
Epithelial Tissues - Types
 Simple squamous epithelium: Made up of thin,
flattened cells. Form lining of mouth, lungs and
capillaries. Allow exchange of gases and materials.
 Simple cuboidal epithelium: Made up of cube like
cells. Present in kidney tubules. Secretory and
absorptive in function.
 Simple columnar epithelium: Made up of long column-
like cells with generally nuclei at the base. Present in
the lining of stomach, intestine, salivary glands.
Secretory and absorptive in function.
 Cells Location Function
Simple squamous Air sacs of lungs, lining of Allows materials to pass
Epithelium the heart, blood vessels through diffusion and
and lymphatic vessels filtration and secretes
lubricating substances

Simple cuboidal In ducts and secretory Secretes and absorbs

epithelium portions of small glands
and in kidney tubules

Simple columnar Non-ciliated: Absorbs and secretes

epithelium digestive tract and mucus and enzymes
bladder
Ciliated: bronchi and
uterus

Pseudostratified Trachea and upper Secretes mucus

epithelium respiratory tract Ciliated: move mucus
 Cells Location Function
Stratified squamous Lines oesophagus,
epithilium mouth and vagina Protects against
Keratinized (skin) abrasion
Non-
keratinized(mouth,
esophagus...)
Stratified cuboidal Sweat glands,
epithelium salivary glands and Protective tissue
mammary glands
Stratified columnar
epithelium The male urethra and Secretes and protects
the ducts of some
glands
Transitional epithelium Lines the bladder, Allows the urinary
urethra and ureters organs to expand
and stretch
Connective Tissues
 Connective Tissues
 Made up of many different types of fibrous cells that are all involved in the
structure and support of the body.

 Bone, blood, fat, and cartilage are all connective tissues.

 Connective tissue can be densely packed together, as bone cells, or loosely

packed, as adipose tissue (fat cells).

 The cells of the connective tissue are separated by non-living material called
extracellular matrix. These tissues help to hold other tissues together like during
the formation of organs and have the ability to stretch and contract positively
■ They connect different tissues or act as a
support to them.

■ All connective tissues include:

• Specialized cells (mostly Fibroblast)
• Extracellular protein fibers ECM
• A fluid known as ground substance
 Connective Tissues - Types

Types of connective tissues:

■ Connective tissue proper
– Loose connective tissue
● Areolar
● Adipose
● Reticular
– Dense connective tissue
● Regular
● Irregular

■ Specialized Connective Tissues

 Connective Tissues – Loose C.T
Areolar C.T Adipose C.T Reticular C.T

Present in Human skin

Present around Present in lymphoid
Provides elasticity, human skin, heart & organs (Spleen, Bone
kidney marrow & Lymph nodes)
strength (collagen)
Protective covering (for Stores
muscles) Provides support for
energy
Binds different tissues lymphatic organs and
together holds adipose tissues
 Connective Tissues – Dense C.T
Dense Regular C.T Dense Irregular C.T

•Parallel bundles of collagen fibers Bundles run in different directions

•Found in tendons and ligaments • Found in inner portion of skin

•Tears when stressed in the incorrect direction • Can be stressed in different directions
Dense Regular Fibrous C.T
Connective Tissues – Specialized C.T
Cartilage Bone Blood

Present in nose, external ear

and wall of trachea •Rigid part of the
skeleton
Strong but flexible part of •For transport
the skeleton
•For support and
Binds & supports body shape
parts
 Bone Tissue
• Bones are not a static tissue but need to be constantly maintained and
remodeled. There are three main cell types involved in this process.

• Osteoblasts: These are responsible for making new bone and repairing
older bone. Osteoblasts produce a protein mixture called osteoid, which is
mineralized and becomes bone. They also manufacture hormones,
including prostaglandins.
• Osteocytes: These are inactive osteoblasts that have become trapped in the
bone that they have created. They maintain connections to other
osteocytes and osteoblasts. They are important for communication within
bone tissue.
• Osteoclasts: These are large cells with more than one nucleus. Their job is
to break down bone. They release enzymes and acids to dissolve minerals in
bone and digest them. This process is called resorption. Osteoclasts help
remodel injured bones and create pathways for nerves and blood vessels to
travel through.
 Bone Tissue
Bones consist of different types of tissue including:

compact bone
spongy bone
bone marrow
Osteon (Haversian Canal)

Osteons are
cylindrical
vascular tunnels
formed by an
osteoclast-rich
tissue.
 The Skeleton
The human skeleton is an internal framework that, in
adults, consists of 206 bones.
In addition to bones, the skeleton also consists of
cartilage and ligaments:
 Cartilage is a type of dense connective tissue, made
of tough protein fibers, that provides a smooth
surface for the movement of bones at joints.
 A ligament is a band of fibrous connective tissue that
holds bones together and keeps them in place.
 Cartilage
• Cartilage is a specialized form of connective tissue produced by
differentiated fibroblast-like cells called chondrocytes.
• It is characterized by a prominent extracellular matrix consisting of
various proportions of connective tissue fibers embedded in a gel-
like matrix.
• Chondrocytes are located within lacunae in the matrix that they
have built around themselves.
• Individual lacunae may contain multiple cells deriving from a
common progenitor.
• Lacunae are separated from one another as a result of the secretory
activity of the chondrocytes.
Three kinds of
cartilage are classified
according to the
abundance of certain
fibers and the
characteristics of their
matrix.
A section of hyaline cartilage, showing the
chondrocytes trapped in lacunae in the
matrix.
Chondrocytes are first chondroblast cells that produce the collagen
extracellular matrix (ECM) and then get caught in the matrix. They lie in spaces
called lacunae with up to eight chondrocytes located in each.
 Adipose (Fat) Tissue
• Adipose tissue, or fat tissue, is considered a connective tissue
even though it does not have fibroblasts or a real matrix, and has
only a few fibers.
• Adipose tissue is composed of cells called adipocytes that collect
and store fat in the form of triglycerides for energy metabolism.
• Adipose tissues additionally serve as insulation to help maintain
body temperatures, allowing animals to be endothermic.
• They also function as cushioning against damage to body organs.
• Under a microscope, adipose tissue cells appear empty due to
the extraction of fat during the processing of the material for
viewing.
• The thin lines in the image are the cell membranes; the nuclei
are the small, black dots at the edges of the cells.
Adipose tissue: Adipose (fat) is a connective tissue composed of
cells called adipocytes. Adipocytes have small nuclei localized at
the cell edge and store fat for energy usage.
 Blood
Blood is considered a connective tissue because it has
a matrix. The living cell types are red blood cells, also
called erythrocytes, and white blood cells, also called
leukocytes. The fluid portion of whole blood, its
matrix, is commonly called plasma.
 Blood Components
• Plasma The liquid component of blood is called plasma, a mixture of water, sugar, fat,
protein, and salts.

• Red Blood Cells (also called erythrocytes or RBCs) Known for their bright red color, red cells
are the most abundant cell in the blood, accounting for about 40 to 45 percent of its
volume. The shape of a red blood cell is a biconcave disk with a flattened center - in other
words, both faces of the disc have shallow bowl-like indentations (a red blood cell looks like
a doughnut).

• White Blood Cells (also called leukocytes) White blood cells protect the body from infection.
They are much fewer in number than red blood cells, accounting for about 1 percent of your
blood. Five different and diverse types of leukocytes exist, but they are all produced and
derived from a multipotent cell in the bone marrow known as a hematopoietic stem cell.

• Platelets (also called thrombocytes) Unlike red and white blood cells, platelets are not
actually cells but rather small fragments of cells. Platelets help the blood clotting process (or
coagulation) by gathering at the site of an injury, sticking to the lining of the injured blood
vessel, and forming a platform on which blood coagulation can occur. This results in the
formation of a fibrin clot, which covers the wound and prevents blood from leaking out.
 Muscular Tissues
 made up of cells (muscle fibers) that contain contractile filaments that move past
each other and change the size of the cell (can contract & regain the original
state).

 Enable the movement of the body.

 There are three types of muscle tissue:

o smooth muscle which is found in the inner linings of organs

o skeletal muscle which is attached to bone and moves the body

o cardiac muscle which is found only in the heart

 Muscular Tissues - Types
● Skeletal
– Striated, elongated and
multinucleated cells
– Attached to skeleton
– Voluntary

● Cardiac
– Striated, branched and uni-
nucleated cells
– In the walls of the heart
– Involuntary

● Smooth
– Non-striated, spindle shaped
and uni- nucleated cells
– In the walls of internal organs
Smooth Muscle Skeletal Muscle Cardiac Muscle
Muscle tissue in the walls Muscle tissue that is Cardiac muscle is found
of internal organs such as attached to bone is only in the walls of the
the stomach and skeletal muscle. Whether heart. When cardiac
intestines are smooth you are blinking your eyes muscle contracts, the
muscle. When smooth or running a marathon, heart beats and pumps
muscle contracts, it helps you are using skeletal blood. Cardiac muscle
the organs carry out their muscle. Contractions of contains a great many
functions. For example, skeletal muscle are mitochondria, which
when smooth muscle in voluntary, or under produce ATP for energy.
the stomach contracts, it conscious control. Skeletal This helps the heart resist
squeezes the food inside muscle is the most fatigue. Contractions of
the stomach, which helps common type of muscle in cardiac muscle are
break the food into the human body. involuntary, like those of
smaller pieces. smooth muscle. Cardiac
Contractions of smooth muscle, like skeletal
muscle are involuntary. muscle, is arranged in
This means they are not bundles, so it appears
under conscious control. striated, or striped
 Nervous Tissues
 made up of the nerve cells (neurons) that together form the nervous system,
including the brain and spinal cord.

■ Controls & coordinates physiological functions by sensing stimuli and

transmitting nerve impulses

■ Found in brain, spinal cord and nerves.

Nervous tissue, shown in the Figure below, functions in the integration
of stimulus and control of response to that stimulus. Nerve cells are
called neurons. Each neuron has a cell body, an axon, and many
dendrites. Nervous tissue is composed of two main cell types: neurons
and glial cells. Neurons transmit nerve messages. Glial cells are in direct
contact with neurons and often surround them.

The neuron is the functional unit of

the nervous system. Humans have
about 100 billion neurons in their
brain alone! While variable in size
and shape, all neurons have three
parts. Dendrites receive information
from another cell and transmit the
message to the cell body. The cell
body contains the nucleus,
mitochondria and other organelles
typical of eukaryotic cells. The axon
conducts messages away from the
cell body.
Types of Tissue Sections

Longitudinal Section (L.S)

is a vertical section along the longest axis of
the tissue.

Cross Section (C.S or X.S) or Transverse

Section (T.S.)
is a plane section that is perpendicular to the
length of the tissue

Oblique Section
is a section that is cut at an angle between
the cross and the longitudinal section of
the tissue
T.S in Gallbladder - Simple Columnar
Epithelium
 Thin section in Kidney – Simple
Squamous & Simple Cuboidal
Epithelium

Simple Cuboidal Epithelium

Simple Squamous (in tubules)
Epithelium (in
Bowman’s capsule)
Simple Columnar Epithelium in
section of secreting tubules of
kidney
 White fibrous tissue -
Tendon L.S

Collagen Fibers
T.S in Peripheral Nerve
 Loose Areolar Connective Tissue

Nucleus

Elastic Fiber

Collagen Fibers
T.S in Spinal cord

Grey matter

White matter
T.S in oesophagus - Stratified
Squamous Epithelium

Nucleus

Stratified Squamous
Epithelium
L.S & T.S in Smooth muscle

Nuclei
L.S & T.S in Heart (Cardiac) muscle

Striations

Intercalated discs
 L.S & T.S in Striated / Skeletal
muscle
T.S
L.S
T.S

Muscle Fibers

Nuclei
L.S in Trachea – Pseudostratified
Columnar Epithelium

Pseudostratified Columnar
Epithelium
Urinary Bladder -
Relaxed
Urinary Bladder -
Expanded