Video Transcript
Fill in the blank. The stomach and intestines are
lined with blank cells. (A) Simple squamous, (B) simple
columnar, (C) stratified squamous, (D) simple cuboidal, or (E) stratified
columnar.
The stomach and intestines are
lined with epithelial tissue. This is a type of tissue which
functions as lining and protection for body and organ surfaces. The cells of this type of tissue
are closely joined together to form a continuous layer.
We can further categorize types of
epithelial tissue by the shape and arrangement of the cells. There are three general shapes of
epithelial tissue cells. Squamous cells are thin, flat,
irregularly shaped cells. We might call these scale
shaped. Cuboidal cells are more uniformly
square or cube shaped. Columnar cells are taller than they
are wide. So we could say they are column
shaped. If these cells are found in a
single layer, we call them simple. If we find the cells in multiple
layers, we call them stratified. These are two of the arrangements
we may find epithelial cells in.
When we describe epithelial cells,
we combine the shape and the arrangement of the cells. So, we might have simple squamous
cells or stratified squamous cells or simple cuboidal cells or stratified cuboidal
and so on.
The stomach and intestines are
lined with columnar cells, which are particularly suited for the secretion of mucus
and other substances and the selective absorption of digested nutrients. These cells are found in a single
layer lining the connective tissue in the stomach and intestines, so we would call
these cells simple columnar cells. We might remember one reason that
these cells would work best in a single layer in the intestines, for example, is
because of their absorption function. It is easier for nutrients to be
absorbed through a single layer of cells rather than multiple layers of cells.
Therefore, the correct answer is
(B). The stomach and intestines are
lined with simple columnar cells.
