What is epithelial tissue? Give its characteristics and functions.
Epithelial tissue is the simplest animal tissue which composed of one or more layer of cells. It is the protective tissue of animal body.
Characteristics of epithelial tissue:
(i) The cells of epithelial tissue are tightly packed and form continuous sheets.
(ii) Epithelial cells have cementing material between them and almost no intercellular space and have nucleus.
(iii) The cells of the lowermost layer rest on non-cellular basement membrane which separates it from the underlying connective tissue.
Epithelial tissue performs following functions: