Enzymes that reside in the glycocalyx of the brush border accomplish the final digestion of oligosaccharides and oligopeptides to monosaccharides and amino acids, respectively. A TEM view of the intestinal brush border reveals bundled actin filaments within the microvilli. Click here to return to where you were in slide W41b. Interspersed between the epithelial cells are goblet cells that secrete mucus, whose function is to protect and lubricate the lining of the intestine. One of several goblet cells visible in this picture is labeled.
Goblet cells look like a drinking goblet, with the pedestal or base toward the basal side.
They contain large pale granules that may be more or less confluent. Notice that the nuclei of the absorptive cells are all in the basal half of the cell. You'll learn next year that a characteristic of cancer or neoplastic epithelial cells is that the nucleus is much larger and not confined to the basal surface. Now, click on the thumbnail to go directly back to 12x magnification. Between the villi are small openings to tubular glands called intestinal crypts of Lieberkuhn.