concept

Enterocyte

Enterocytes are the major villus epithelial cell type. They are highly specialized tall and columnar cells, with an oval nucleus located basally (Fig. 3). The usual organelles are all represented: the endoplasmic reticulum is not prominent but the Golgi apparatus is, the mitochondria are usually long and filamentous, and a number of pinocytic vesicles may be seen near the apical region. The apical surface is composed of microvilli and glycocalyx. Microvilli are close projections of cytoplasm covered by the cell membrane. They are about 1 μm high and 0.1 μm in diameter, providing a 14- to 40-fold increase in the apical surface area. The glycocalyx is a thin, filamentous layer of mucopolysaccharide material, housing important enzymes that function in terminal digestive processes. Enterocytes (and the other epithelial cells) are surrounded at their apical side by typical 0.5- to 2-μm intercellular junctional complexes. They consist of two distinct structures, the tight junction and the adherens junction, that encircle the cells as a belt, allowing a tight and continuous contact between two adjacent cells. These two structures are associations of transmembrane and cytoplasmic proteins linked with the cytoskeleton.

Ref:
Gaëlle Boudry, Ping-Chang Yang, Mary H. Perdue, Small Intestine, Anatomy, Editor(s): Leonard R. Johnson, Encyclopedia of Gastroenterology, Elsevier, 2004, Pages 404-409, ISBN 9780123868602, https://doi.org/10.1016/B0-12-386860-2/00648-1. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B0123868602006481)

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Added on Apr 7, 2022 by Barbara Van De Keer
Edited on Sep 24, 2022 by Barbara Van De Keer

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