Villi Microvilli
Villi Microvilli - Related Videos
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Microvilli
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2023
Microvilli are tiny finger-like projections found on the surface of certain cells. Their purpose is to increase the surface area of the cell's apical surface, resulting in more effective absorption or secretion of substances. These microvilli are predominantly present in cells lining the small intestine, kidney tubules, and certain cells in the respiratory and reproductive systems. By significantly expanding the surface area of the cell membrane, microvilli enhance the cell's capacity to...
10:51
Co-culture of Living Microbiome with Microengineered Human Intestinal Villi in a Gut-on-a-Chip Microfluidic Device
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Cited by 69 •
2016
We describe an in vitro protocol to co-culture gut microbiome and intestinal villi for an extended period using a human gut-on-a-chip microphysiological system.
06:40
3D Culturing of Organoids from the Intestinal Villi Epithelium Undergoing Dedifferentiation
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Cited by 2 •
2021
The procedure describes isolation of the villi from the mouse intestinal epithelium undergoing dedifferentiation to determine their organoid forming potential.
02:23
Visualization of a Mouse Brain Choroid Plexus Using Scanning Electron Microscopy
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2025
Source: Van Wonterghem, E., et al. Microdissection and Whole Mount Scanning Electron Microscopy Visualization of Mouse Choroid Plexus. J. Vis. Exp. (2022)This video demonstrates the preparation and imaging of choroid plexus tissue from a mouse brain using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The process includes tissue fixation, dehydration, and coating with a conductive platinum layer to stabilize and prepare the sample for imaging. SEM captures detailed images of epithelial cells with...
05:47
Intravital Visualization of Gamma Delta Intraepithelial Lymphocytes
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2025
This video demonstrates the visualization of γδ intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs) in transgenic mice using confocal microscopy. The surgical procedure involves creating a perforation line and making a longitudinal incision to expose the intestinal mucosa and villi. The transgenic mice express reporter proteins exclusively in γδ IELs, allowing their tracking. Intravital imaging captures the dynamic movement of green fluorescence-labeled γδ IELs along the intestinal epithelial cell's basement...
FAQs
Their organization creates a two-level absorptive interface. A villus brings together many epithelial cells and internal transport pathways, while each cell can carry densely packed microvilli at its luminal surface. This arrangement combines tissue-scale access to blood and lymphatic vessels with cell-surface contact, allowing epithelial exchange, absorption, and secretion to operate across an expanded interface.
Actin filaments provide the internal scaffold for each microvillus. Because the filaments form bundles beneath the membrane, they support the narrow extensions that pack onto epithelial cells and create the organized surface needed for contact with luminal contents. This cellular architecture links cytoskeletal organization to the epithelial surface available for absorption and other exchange functions.
Surface area is functionally important because it determines how much epithelial membrane can contact material in the lumen. Packing microvilli on cells, while arranging those cells within villi, expands that contact without requiring a single flat surface. The resulting architecture supports efficient absorption, exchange, and secretion, making structure directly relevant to epithelial performance.
After nutrients cross the microvillar membrane, their destination is not limited to the epithelial surface. They can enter blood capillaries or lymphatic vessels located within the villi, after which these transport systems carry them throughout the body. Thus, villus anatomy connects the initial membrane-crossing event with distribution beyond the intestinal epithelium.
Their architecture can be considered alongside absorptive function. Since these structures organize the epithelial contact surface and connect intestinal cells with blood or lymphatic transport, impaired architecture may help explain reduced nutrient uptake or defects in epithelial performance. They therefore provide structural context for interpreting disorders that affect absorption or the organization of epithelial tissue.
Compare their level of organization and structural support: villi are multicellular projections containing blood capillaries and lymphatic vessels, whereas microvilli are membrane extensions supported by actin bundles on epithelial cells. Then relate each feature to luminal contact and nutrient movement. This comparison separates tissue-level transport capacity from cell-surface specialization.