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Epithelial polarity is one example of the cell polarity that is a fundamental feature of many types of cells. Epithelial cells feature distinct 'apical', 'lateral' and 'basal' plasma membrane domains. Epithelial cells connect to one another via their lateral membranes to form epithelial sheets that line cavities and surfaces throughout the ...
Epithelium or epithelial tissue is a thin, continuous, protective layer of cells with little extracellular matrix. An example is the epidermis, the outermost layer of the skin. Epithelial (mesothelial) tissues line the outer surfaces of many internal organs, the corresponding inner surfaces of body cavities, and the inner surfaces of blood vessels.
The basolateral membrane refers to both the lateral membrane where cell-cell junctions connect neighboring cells and to the basal membrane where cells are attached to the basement membrane, a thin sheet of extracellular matrix proteins that separates the epithelial sheet from underlying cells and connective tissue.
Tight junctions also help maintain the apicobasal polarity of cells by preventing the lateral diffusion of integral membrane proteins between the apical and lateral/basal surfaces, allowing the specialized functions of each surface (for example receptor-mediated endocytosis at the apical surface and exocytosis at the basolateral surface) to be ...
In epithelial cells, they function also to separate the extracellular fluid surrounding their apical and basolateral membranes. [1] These junctions exist as a continuous band located just below the apical surface between the membranes of neighboring epithelial cells. The tight junctions on adjacent cells line up so as to produce a seal between ...
The stria vascularis is part of the lateral wall of the cochlear duct. [1] It is a somewhat stratified epithelium containing primarily three cell types: marginal cells, [1] which are involved in K + transport, and line the endolymphatic space of the scala media. intermediate cells, [1] which are pigment-containing cells scattered among capillaries.
A brush border (striated border or brush border membrane) is the microvillus-covered surface of simple cuboidal and simple columnar epithelium found in different parts of the body. Microvilli are approximately 100 nanometers in diameter and their length varies from approximately 100 to 2,000 nanometers.
The terminal bar is located on the lateral surface of epithelial cells, where the lateral surface meets the apical surface. It should not be confused with the terminal web , which is an actinous web underlying microvilli on specialized epithelial cells.