Cell, Tissue, Organ and Organ System
•Cell is the smallest unit of an organism which is capable
of independent existance, it is the structural and
functional unit of almost living organisms
• Tissues are groups of cells with similar structures and
functions
•When different tissues are assembeld to perform a
particular task, they form organ which in turn make up
system
•A group of systems makes it possible for an organism to
perform the functions necessary for life.
Example of specialized cells
• All cells produced from the zygote by mitosis have identical
DNA
• Cells with identical genetic information differentiate to
become different cells with their own structure and function
• Cells can be identical or different according to the specific
genes that are either active or inactive in the cell
• Muscle cells - elongated cells with abundance of filaments
that permit the cells to elongate and contract
• Red blood cells - small bi-concave shape, packed with
haemoglobin to transport oxygen
Four basic types of tissues
•Epithelial, conncetive, muscle and nervous
•Epithelial tissues – consist of tightly packed cells that
cover and protect the inside and outside surfaces of the
body. The different cells are named according to their
shape
•Example cuboidal epithelium consists of cells which are
approximately cubic in shape, columnar epithelium
consists of long, thin cells stacked side by side, squamous
epithelium consists of flattened cells
•They can be simple or stratified
•The main functions of epithelia are protection from the
environment, coverage, secretion and excretion,
absorption, and filtration.
Simple squamous epithelium is found lining areas
where passive diffusion of gases occur, including the
walls of capillaries, the linings of the alveoli of the lungs,
and the linings of the pericardial, pleural, and
peritoneal cavities.
Simple cuboidal epithelium – linings of kidney tubules,
gland ducts. Function- secretion and absorption
Simple columnar epithelium – linings of much of
digestive tract, upper part of respiratory tract. Function-
secretion, especially mucus; absorption, protection,
movement of mucus layer, sometimes with enclosed
secretory vesicles (goblet cells), highly developed golgi
complex, often ciliated
Conncetive tissues
Support or bind other cells and tissues together
Consists of a sparse population of cells scattered
through an extracellular matrix
Example – adipose tissue, cartilage, bone and blood
Adipose tissue – pads around certain internal organ
such as kidney. Function- food storage, insulation,
support as such organs as mamary gland
Star shaped of flat cells, fat droplets accumulate until
typical ring-shaped cells are produced
Conncetive tissues
• Cartilage – supporting rings in walls of some respiratory
tubes, tip of nose, external ear
• Functions – flexible support and reduction of friction in
bearing surfaces
• Cells (chondrocytes) separated from one another by
intercellular substance; cells occupy lacunae
• Bone – forms skeletal structure in most vetebrates
• Functions – support and protection of internal organs;
calcium reservoir; skeletal muscles attach to bones
• Blood – within heart and blood vessels of circulatory
system
• Transport oxygen, nutrients, wastes etc
• Consists of cells dispersed in fluid intercellular substance
Muscle tissue
• Contain an extensive cytoskeleton consisting of
contractile protein (actin and myosin) filaments
• Able to change their length by contraction
• Makes up 2/3 of the body mass of a healthy animal
• Types- skeletal (voluntary), cardiac (heart), smooth
(involuntary)
• Skeletal – attached to skeleton
• Cardiac – walls of heart (involuntary)
• Smooth – walls of stomach, intestine, etc
(involuntary)
Skeletal and Cardiac Muscle
Skeletal, smooth and cardiac
Nervous tissue
•About 1 metre in length , is specialised to detect
and transmit tiny electric signals at a speed of many
metres per second, and pass those signals to other
cells, tissues and organs
• is composed of two main cell type; neurons and
glial cells, neurons transmit nerve messages. Glial
cells are indirect contact with neuron and often
surround them. Some glial cells also transmit
messages, other insulate and protect neurons
Neuron
Nervous tissue
Organ
• Example – brain, heart, stomach, liver , eye etc
•Composed of various types of tissues, example; heart
(muscle, nerve, blood); brain (blood,nerve); liver
(connective, blood)
•Perform one or more biological functions, example;
heart (muscular pump to move blood to all parts of
the body); brain (detection, processing and
transmission of information as nerve impulses); liver
(metabolism of waste materials, production of bile
and ure and storage of glycogen)
Organ : Example Stomach
(4 types of tissues found in stomach)
Organ
Cell junctions
• abundant in epithelial tissues, consist of protein
complexes and provide contact between
neighbouring cells, between a cell and the
extracellular matrix
• 5 different types of cell junctions ;
• tight junctions, adherens junctions, desmosomes,
hemidesmosomes, and gap junctions.
• Tight junctions are a pair of trans-membrane protein
fused on outer plasma membrane
• Adherens junctions are a plaque (protein layer on the
inside plasma membrane) which attaches both cells'
microfilaments.
Cell junctions
• Desmosomes attach to the microfilaments of
cytoskeleton made up of keratin protein.
• Hemidesmosomes resemble desmosomes on a
section. They are made up of the integrin (a
transmembraner protein) instead of cadherin. They
attach the epithelial cell to the basement membrane
• Gap junctions connect the cytoplasm of two cells and
are made up of proteins called connexins (six of which
come together to make a connexon)
