Septum Explained

In biology, a septum (Latin for something that encloses; : septa) is a wall, dividing a cavity or structure into smaller ones. A cavity or structure divided in this way may be referred to as septate.

Examples

Human anatomy

• Interatrial septum, the wall of tissue that is a sectional part of the left and right atria of the heart^[1]

• Interventricular septum, the wall separating the left and right ventricles of the heart^[2]
• Lingual septum, a vertical layer of fibrous tissue that separates the halves of the tongue^[3]

• Nasal septum

the cartilage wall separating the nostrils of the nose^[4]

• Alveolar septum: the thin wall which separates the alveoli from each other in the lungs^[5]
• Orbital septum, a palpebral ligament in the upper and lower eyelids^[6]
• Septum pellucidum or septum lucidum, a thin structure separating two fluid pockets in the brain^[7]
• Uterine septum, a malformation of the uterus^[8]
• Penile septum, a fibrous wall between the two corpora cavernosa penis^[9]
• Septum glandis, partition of the ventral aspect of the glans penis^[10]
• Scrotal septum, layer of tissue dividing the scrotum^[11]
• Vaginal septum, a lateral or transverse partition inside the vagina^[12]
• Intermuscular septa separating the muscles of the arms and legs

Histological septa are seen throughout most tissues of the body, particularly where they are needed to stiffen soft cellular tissue, and they also provide planes of ingress for small blood vessels. Because the dense collagen fibres of a septum usually extend out into the softer adjacent tissues, microscopic fibrous septa are less clearly defined than the macroscopic types of septa listed above.^[13] In rare instances, a septum is a cross-wall. Thus it divides a structure into smaller parts.^[14]

Cell biology

The septum (cell biology) is the boundary formed between dividing cells in the course of cell division.^[15]

Fungus

• A partition dividing filamentous hyphae into discrete cells in fungi.^[16]

Botany

• A partition that separates the locules of a fruit, anther, or sporangium.^[17]

Zoology

A coral septum is one of the radial calcareous plates in the corallites of a coral.^[18]

Annelids have septa that divide their coelom into segmented chambers.^[19]

Many shelled organisms have septa subdividing their shell chamber, including rhizopods, cephalopods and gastropods, the latter seemingly serving as a defence against shell-boring predators.^{[20] [21]}

Laboratory technology

• A rubber septum is an engineered membrane that permits transfer of a substance (usually liquid or gas) without contact with air, usually using a syringe with needle.

References

1. Naqvi . Nitha . McCarthy . Karen P. . Ho . Siew Yen . 2018 . Anatomy of the atrial septum and interatrial communications . Journal of Thoracic Disease . 10 . S24 . S2837–S2847 . 10.21037/jtd.2018.02.18 . free . 6174145 . 30305943.
2. Book: Carlson, Bruce M. . Reference Module in Biomedical Sciences . https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B978012801238305460X . Development of the Heart . 2014-11-28 . 2014 . 9780128012383 . . en . 10.1016/B978-0-12-801238-3.05460-X.
3. Gleichmann . Natasha . Creighton . Elizabeth . Zhu . Austin . Willard . Nicholas . Yang . Jeremy . Herrmann . Brian W . 2023-07-25 . Concurrent Pediatric Lingual and Submental Dermoid Cysts: Case Report and Literature Review . Cureus . 15 . 7 . e42429 . en . 10.7759/cureus.42429 . free . 2168-8184 . 10448783 . 37637563.
4. Vaid . Sanjay . Vaid . Neelam . 2022-11-01 . Sinonasal Anatomy . Neuroimaging Clinics of North America . Neuroimaging Anatomy, Part 2: Head, Neck, and Spine . 32 . 4 . 713–734 . 10.1016/j.nic.2022.07.007 . 36244719 . 1052-5149.
5. Book: Kesharwani, Prashant . Nanotechnology-Based Targeted Drug Delivery Systems for Lung Cancer . . 2019 . 978-0-12-815720-6 . 1st . . 1–20 . en . Chapter 1 - An Overview of the Anatomy and Physiology of the Lung . 10.1016/C2017-0-03894-6 . 2024-08-27 . https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B9780128157206000010.
6. Davies . Hannah J . Webster . Andora Melany . McCance . Eleanor . Watts . Patrick . Evans . Jordan . 2023-12-01 . Seeing beyond the swelling: orbital and preseptal cellulitis in children . . 33 . 12 . 369–375 . 10.1016/j.paed.2023.09.002 . 1751-7222.
7. Fantasia . Ilaria . Ciardo . Claudia . Bracalente . Gabriella . Filippi . Elisa . Murru . Flora Maria . Spezzacatene . Anita . Bin . Maura . Mendez Quintero . Olivia . Montaguti . Elisa . Lees . Christoph . Papanikolaou . Katherine . Pilu . Gianluigi . Prefumo . Federico . Thilaganathan . Baskaran . Stampalija . Tamara . 2023-04-14 . Obliterated cavum septi pellucidi: Clinical significance and role of fetal magnetic resonance . . 102 . 6 . 744–750 . 10.1111/aogs.14575 . 0001-6349 . 10201966 . 37059118.
8. Homer . Hayden A . Li . Tin-Chiu . Cooke . Ian D . 2000-01-01 . The septate uterus: a review of management and reproductive outcome . . 73 . 1 . 1–14 . 10.1016/S0015-0282(99)00480-X . 10632403 . 0015-0282.
9. Kirkham . A . 2012-11-01 . MRI of the penis . . en . 85 . special_issue_1 . S86–S93 . 10.1259/bjr/63301362 . 0007-1285 . 3746407 . 23118102.
10. Ozbey . Huseyin . Kumbasar . Ali . 2017-11-10 . Glans wings are separated ventrally by the septum glandis and frenulum penis: MRI documentation and surgical implications . . 43 . 4 . 525–529 . 10.5152/tud.2017.00334 . 5687219 . 29201519.
11. Patel . Abhishek P. . 2017-05-20 . Anatomy and physiology of chronic scrotal pain . . 6 . S1 . S51–S56 . 10.21037/tau.2017.05.32 . free . 5503924 . 28725619.
12. Heinonen . P.K. . 1982 . Longitudinal vaginal septum . . en . 13 . 4 . 253–258 . 10.1016/0028-2243(82)90106-X . 7117657.
13. Book: Burt . Alastair D. . MacSween's Pathology of the Liver . Ferrell . Linda D. . Portmann . Bernard C. . . 2011 . 978-0-7020-3398-8 . 6th . 1–77 . en . 1 - Anatomy, pathophysiology and basic mechanisms of disease . 10.1016/C2009-0-47964-9 . https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B9780702033988000015.
14. Yu . Mengyao . Harper . Andrew R. . Aguirre . Matthew . Pittman . Maureen . Tcheandjieu . Catherine . Amgalan . Dulguun . Grace . Christopher . Goel . Anuj . Farrall . Martin . Xiao . Ke . Engreitz . Jesse . Pollard . Katherine S. . Watkins . Hugh . Priest . James R. . 2023 . Genetic Determinants of the Interventricular Septum Are Linked to Ventricular Septal Defects and Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy . . en . 16 . 3 . 207–215 . 10.1161/CIRCGEN.122.003708 . 2574-8300 . 10293084 . 37017090.
15. Khanna . Kanika . Lopez-Garrido . Javier . Sugie . Joseph . Pogliano . Kit . Villa . Elizabeth . 2021-05-21 . Asymmetric localization of the cell division machinery during Bacillus subtilis sporulation . . en . 10 . 10.7554/eLife.62204 . free . 2050-084X . 8192124 . 34018921.
16. Rittenour . William R. . Si . Haoyu . Harris . Steven D. . 2009-02-01 . Hyphal morphogenesis in Aspergillus nidulans . . 23 . 1 . 20–29 . 10.1016/j.fbr.2009.08.001 . 2009FunBR..23...20R . 1749-4613.
17. Book: Hong, De-Yuan . A Monograph of Codonopsis and Allied Genera (Campanulaceae) . . 2015 . 978-0-12-801933-7 . 1st . 9–41 . en . Chapter 2 - Biology . 10.1016/C2013-0-23184-6 . 2024-08-27 . https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B9780128019337000027.
18. Web site: Scrutton . Colin . 12 May 1998 . The Palaeozoic corals, II: Structure, variation and palaeoecology . Research Gate.
19. Book: Squire, Larry R. . Encyclopedia of Neuroscience . . 2009 . 978-0-08-045046-9 . 189–200 . en . Biomechanics: Hydroskeletal . 10.1016/B978-008045046-9.01948-3 . 2024-08-27 . https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B9780080450469019483.
20. 10.1038/s41598-018-35505-1. 30510248. 6277388. Deciphering deterministic factors of predation pressures in deep time. Scientific Reports. 8. 1. 17532. 2018. Ishikawa. Makiko. Kase. Tomoki. Tsutsui. Hidekazu. 2018NatSR...817532I.
21. 10.1086/284025 . Unsuccessful Predation and Evolution. The American Naturalist. 120. 6. 701–720. 1982. Vermeij. Geerat J.. 84610680.