Assignment in Histology (Epithelial Tissue)
1. A 42 year old woman of Mediterranean descent presents with multiple oral blisters
and a few cutaneous blisters on her back and buttocks. The superficial bullae are fragile,
some have unroofed to form ulcerated lesions, and there is a positive Nikolsky sign.
Blood tests reveal antibodies to a subfamily of cadherins and immunohistochemical
staining of a biopsy from the oral mucosa shows distribution of the antigen throughout
the epithelium. In what structures is the defect that is causing this patient's condition?
A. Desmosomes
B. Tight junctions
C. Hemidesmosomes
D. Gap junctions
E. Reticular lamina
2. Functions of the basement membrane include which of the following?
A. Contractility
B. Molecular filtering
C. Active ion transport
D. Excitability
E. Modification of secreted proteins
3. Exocrine glands in which the acini all produce a secretion of heavily glycosylated,
hydrophilic proteins are an example of which type of gland?
A. Serous gland
B. Mixed gland
C. Mucous gland
D. Tubuloacinar gland
E. Simple gland
4. Which of the following cellular features is used in naming types of epithelia?
A. Shape of cells in the basal layer
B. Number of cell layers
C. Presence of a basal lamina
D. Size of the nuclei
E. Nature of the cell junctions that are present
1. A 42 year old woman of Mediterranean descent presents with multiple oral blisters
and a few cutaneous blisters on her back and buttocks. The superficial bullae are fragile,
some have unroofed to form ulcerated lesions, and there is a positive Nikolsky sign.
Blood tests reveal antibodies to a subfamily of cadherins and immunohistochemical
staining of a biopsy from the oral mucosa shows distribution of the antigen throughout
the epithelium. In what structures is the defect that is causing this patient's condition?
A. Desmosomes
B. Tight junctions
C. Hemidesmosomes
D. Gap junctions
E. Reticular lamina
2. Functions of the basement membrane include which of the following?
A. Contractility
B. Molecular filtering
C. Active ion transport
D. Excitability
E. Modification of secreted proteins
3. Exocrine glands in which the acini all produce a secretion of heavily glycosylated,
hydrophilic proteins are an example of which type of gland?
A. Serous gland
B. Mixed gland
C. Mucous gland
D. Tubuloacinar gland
E. Simple gland
4. Which of the following cellular features is used in naming types of epithelia?
A. Shape of cells in the basal layer
B. Number of cell layers
C. Presence of a basal lamina
D. Size of the nuclei
E. Nature of the cell junctions that are present
