Goblet cells of pseudostratified ciliated columnar epithelium are characteristic of which epithelium?

Goblet cells of pseudostratified ciliated columnar epithelium are characteristic of which epithelium?

• A. Pseudostratified ciliated columnar epithelium
• B. Simple columnar epithelium
• C. Transitional epithelium
• D. Stratified squamous epithelium

Answer: (A)

Goblet cells are mucus-secreting cells that are a hallmark of the respiratory mucosa. In the airways, the lining is pseudostratified ciliated columnar epithelium, which looks multi-layered but all cells touch the basement membrane and have cilia on the surface. The goblet cells sit among these tall, columnar cells and continuously secrete mucus, while the cilia move that mucus out of the airways. This combination—goblet cells within pseudostratified ciliated columnar epithelium—defines that tissue type. Transitional epithelium and stratified squamous are protective barriers without goblet cells, and simple columnar epithelium can have goblet cells but lacks the characteristic ciliated pseudostratified arrangement of the respiratory lining.

Goblet cells are mucus-secreting cells that are a hallmark of the respiratory mucosa. In the airways, the lining is pseudostratified ciliated columnar epithelium, which looks multi-layered but all cells touch the basement membrane and have cilia on the surface. The goblet cells sit among these tall, columnar cells and continuously secrete mucus, while the cilia move that mucus out of the airways. This combination—goblet cells within pseudostratified ciliated columnar epithelium—defines that tissue type. Transitional epithelium and stratified squamous are protective barriers without goblet cells, and simple columnar epithelium can have goblet cells but lacks the characteristic ciliated pseudostratified arrangement of the respiratory lining.