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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2015 Jul 7.
Published in final edited form as: Analyst. 2014 Jul 7;139(13):3206–3218. doi: 10.1039/c4an00056k

Figure 1. The in vivo environment and architecture of epithelial and endothelial cell monolayers.

Figure 1

Polarised epithelial cells possess apical and basolateral plasma membrane domains that are separated by tight junctions. The apical plasma membrane (green) faces the lumen and contains microvilli and the primary cilium. The basolateral plasma membrane (red) contacts other cells and the extracellular matrix. The essential structures of the extracellular matrix are the basement membrane and the interstitial tissue that consists of connective tissue and stromal cells. Endothelial cells line blood vessels and exhibit a similar architecture as epithelial cells in which also tight junctions regulate the passage of substances between neighbouring cells.