You observe a tissue under a microscope. There appears to be a lumen on one side of the tissue. Lining this lumen, the cells see
m to have long, fingerlike projections. Beneath the projections, the cells seem to have the shape of shoeboxes and are packed tightly together. What type of tissue are you looking at? a) stratified squamous epithelia
b) simple cuboidal epithelia
c) transitional epithelia
d) simple columnar epithelia
The simple columnar epithelium is an epithelial tissue that has a single layer of nonciliated cells. The cells look like columns and have oval nuclei near their base. This type of epithelial tissue has microvilli at the apical surface of their columnar epithelial cells. These microvilli are the fingerlike cytoplasmic projections that serve to increase the surface area for absorption.
Simple columnar epithelium makes the linings of the gastrointestinal tract, specifically from the stomach to anus where they live the cavities of these organs.
