Histology Fact Sheet: Tissue

Tissues

A tissue can be conceptualized is a group of cells that have similar structure and that function together as a unit. When examining the histology of an organ, the orderly arrangement of cells is indicitave of a tissue.

There are four tissue types in the body: epithelium, connective tissue, muscle tissue, and nervous tissue.

Each tissue is designed for specific functions.

Histology of Epithelium

Epithelium lines body cavities and covers body surfaces.   Because of this, there is a free surface on epithelium. The histology of epithelium is cells that are packed close together with little space between cells. Read more about epitheliumhere.

Histology of Connective Tissue

Connective tissue is the most diverse tissue type. On a histology slide of connective tissue, the cells are separated by a large distance from each other.  There is a lot of intercellular matrix between the cells. Read more about connective tissuehere.

Histology of Muscle Tissue

Muscle tissue is specialized for contraction. Read more about muscle tissue here.

Histology of Nervous Tissue

Nervous tissue is specialized for conduction.  It consists of nuerons and supporting cells. Read more about the nervous system here.

Sources:

Histology: A Text and Atlas
Michael H. Ross/Edward J. Reith