A new regulator of B cell development

Interleukin-33 (IL-33) drives inflammatory responses in allergic and nonallergic disease. Epithelial cells in the lungs, gastrointestinal tract and elsewhere release IL-33, which activates the ST2 receptor on immune cell ...

Medical research

Compound in breast milk fights harmful bacteria

Researchers at National Jewish Health and the University of Iowa have identified a compound in human breast milk that fights infections by harmful bacteria while allowing beneficial bacteria to thrive. Human breast milk has ...

Medical research

Immunologists identify T cell homing beacons for lungs

Scientists have identified a pair of molecules critical for T cells, part of the immune system, to travel to and populate the lungs. A potential application could be strengthening vaccines against respiratory pathogens such ...

Medical research

Adult fly intestine could help understand intestinal regeneration

Intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) are exposed to diverse types of environmental stresses such as bacteria and toxins, but the mechanisms by which epithelial cells sense stress are not well understood. New research by the ...

Medical research

Artificially engineering the intestine

Short bowel syndrome is a debilitating condition with few treatment options, and these treatments have limited efficacy. The ability to grow artificial intestine is a coveted goal with the potential to profoundly improve ...

Oncology & Cancer

Researchers convert pro-tumor macrophages into cancer killers

Epithelial cancers, such as cancers of the lung and pancreas, use the ανβ3 molecule to gain drug resistance to standard cancer therapies and to become highly metastatic. In a paper published in Cancer Research, University ...

Oncology & Cancer

Protein's role in inflammation-related cancer studied

It's well established that chronic inflammation can lead to colon cancer, but the molecular mechanisms behind this association aren't fully understood. Research at Vanderbilt University Medical Center into the role that the ...


Host-microbe interactions in the gut

Although the mutually beneficial relationship between human beings and gut microbes is clear, how we—the host—affect the functions of gut microbial communities remains poorly understood.

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In biology and medicine, an epithelium is a tissue composed of cells that line the cavities and surfaces of structures throughout the body. Many glands are also formed from epithelial tissue. It lies on top of connective tissue, and the two layers are separated by a basement membrane.

In humans, epithelium is classified as a primary body tissue, the other ones being connective tissue, muscle tissue and nervous tissue.

Epithelium is often defined by the expression of the adhesion molecule e-cadherin (as opposed to n-cadherin, which is used by cells of the connective tissue).

Functions of epithelial cells include secretion, selective absorption, protection, transcellular transport and detection of sensation and they commonly as a result present extensive apical-basolateral polarity (e.g. different membrane proteins expressed) and specialisation.
