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Intro Histology Terms
Terms for studying histology
17
Medical
Graduate
08/17/2010

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Term
Epithelia
Definition
Sheet of cells joined tightly together with little or no extracellular matrix (i.e. linings, membranes, etc). They are polarized with a free (apical) side facing a lumen (e.g. exposed space, like the mouth, outside for skin, inside of intestine for intestines) and a basal surface on a basal lamina. They are avascular and overlie connective tissue
Term
Connective Tissue
Definition
Cells spatially separated by varying degrees of extracellular material (i.e. bone with it's calcium phosphate, blood with it's plasma...)
Term
Muscle Tissue
Definition
Cells specialized for contraction
Term
Nerve Tissue
Definition
Cells specialized for impulse conduction and supporting cells
Term
4 overarching types of tissues
Definition
Nerve, Muscle, Connective, and Epithelial
Term
Apical
Definition
Side of an epithelial cell that is closer to the Lumen, or open space
Term
Basal
Definition
Side of an epithelial cell that is closer to the connective tissue, or basal lamina, or basement membrane
Term
Parafin Technique for Preparing Sections
Definition
- Fix the sample with a fixing solution (i.e. formaldehyde or more commonly, formalin)
- Dehydrate the sample with alcohol, and clear it with xylol (paraffin is soluble in xylol)
- Embed the sample in paraffin for sectioning
- Section the sample into thin slices using a microtome
- Stain the sample with an organic dye to enhance contrast
Term
Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E)
Definition
The most common staining technique there is, based on acidophilic / basophilic polarization of molecules
Term
Hematoxylin
Definition
Basic blue stain, binds to acidic regions of the cell (basophilic sections) such as DNA, RNA, and ribosomes. Therefore the nucleus, among other things, is usually stained blue
Term
Eosin
Definition
Acidic pink stain that labels basic regions of the cytoplasm or regions rich in proteins, since they're usually slightly basic (and therefore acidophilic)
Term
Resolving power of light, SEM, and TEM microscopes
Definition
Light: 0.25um
SEM: 10nm
TEM: 0.2nm
Term
Antibody
Definition
A molecule with a specific binding site that fits only one or a few molecules (antigens)
Term
3 Reporter systems for antibody binding
Definition
Enzymes, fluorochromes, and particulate probes
Term
Fluorochrome Reporting system
Definition
Usually attached to a secondary antibody, the fluorochrome gets stuck in one location when the secondary antibody attaches onto its antigen (the primary antibody, which has connected to the target molecule). Sometimes tertiary antibodies are involved.
Term
Ezymatic Targeting Mechanisms
Definition
An enzyme (such as horseradish peroxidase) is attached to a secondary antibody, and the enzymatic activity produces something visible (often a precipitate of some kind) which localizes at the site of the sought-after antigen
Term
Particulate Probe Reporting System
Definition
Usually colloidial gold is attached to a secondary antibody, which is electron-rich enough to be very obvious in electron micrographs. Different sizes of gold particles can be used to identify different antigens!
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