what is a transitional cell?
- 1 decade agoFavorite Answer
Transitional epithelium contains cells that are flattened and cells that are cuboidal; hence the name "transitional". You can find transitional epithelium in the bladder (shown below) and in the first expansion of the ureters as they leave the kidneys (called a calyx) (shown in the above photograph).
Another way to remember transitional epithelium is that the cells have the capacity to stretch and flatten so the calyx and bladder can expand. What structures allow this distensibility?
Note that in the bladder transitional epithelium (shown below) the cells nearest the apex are rounded. This is a diagnostic feature of this epithelium.Source(s): University of Texas Medical Branch Cell Biology Graduate Program http://cellbio.utmb.edu/microanatomy/epithelia/tra...
- TeriRLv 61 decade ago
Transitional cells are cells that vary in shape depending on whether the tissue is being stretched. Transitional cells can without breaking apart. They're found lining hollow organs such as the bladder and in the ureters. There's a type of cancer that affects these cells and is called transitional cell carcinoma.
- 1 decade ago
Transitional cell is special type of cell which usually lines urinary bladder.