In histology, which tissue component is missing if the epithelial lining is absent in a mucosal section?

• A. The epithelium
• B. The connective tissue
• C. The muscle layers
• D. The nerve fibers

Answer: (A)

In mucosa, the surface is lined by epithelium, and beneath it sits connective tissue (lamina propria) with a smaller muscle layer (muscularis mucosae) deeper down. If the epithelial lining is absent, the missing tissue component is the epithelium—the cellular sheet that forms the mucosal surface. The underlying connective tissue and any muscle fibers or nerve fibers can remain present even without the epithelial layer, since those components lie beneath or alongside the epithelium and are not dependent on the epithelium’s presence for existence on a histology section.