Which tissue type has tightly packed cells attached to a basement membrane?

Which tissue type has tightly packed cells attached to a basement membrane?

• A. Epithelial tissue
• B. Muscle tissue
• C. Nervous tissue
• D. Connective tissue

Answer: (A)

Tightly packed cells forming a continuous sheet that sits on a basement membrane are characteristic of epithelial tissue. The basement membrane is a thin extracellular layer produced by epithelial cells and the underlying connective tissue that anchors the sheet, provides structural support, and helps regulate what passes between the tissue and its environment. This arrangement creates protective barriers, controls permeability, and supports specialized activities like secretion and absorption. Muscular tissue is organized into fibers for contraction and isn’t arranged as a dense, surface-attached sheet. Nervous tissue contains neurons and supporting cells within a different extracellular framework and isn’t a uniform, densely packed layer on a basement membrane. Connective tissue features abundant extracellular matrix with relatively sparse cells, not a tightly packed epithelial sheet.

Tightly packed cells forming a continuous sheet that sits on a basement membrane are characteristic of epithelial tissue. The basement membrane is a thin extracellular layer produced by epithelial cells and the underlying connective tissue that anchors the sheet, provides structural support, and helps regulate what passes between the tissue and its environment. This arrangement creates protective barriers, controls permeability, and supports specialized activities like secretion and absorption. Muscular tissue is organized into fibers for contraction and isn’t arranged as a dense, surface-attached sheet. Nervous tissue contains neurons and supporting cells within a different extracellular framework and isn’t a uniform, densely packed layer on a basement membrane. Connective tissue features abundant extracellular matrix with relatively sparse cells, not a tightly packed epithelial sheet.