Describe the typical characteristic of the epithelia

Question

Describe the typical characteristic of the epithelia? How dissimilar is it from the connective tissue?

Answer 1

The typical characteristic of the epithelium is the deficiency or almost lack of space between cells. Epithelial cells are compactly positioned side-by-side with the aid of specialized structures for cell adhesion such as interdigitations and desmosomes. This characteristic relates to the fact that such tissues are usually exposed to an exterior surround and therefore they require more resistance and impermeability against the entrance of strange substance into the body.

The connective tissue represents opposite characteristics due to its filling function. This has much interstitial material (that is, the matrix) and relatively big space between cells.