A cup shaped specialization of the cytoskeleton that forms a thin layer located just below the apical mass of mature mucin secretory granules in the cytoplasm of goblet cells of the intestinal epithelium. It consists of an orderly network of intermediate filaments and microtubules. Microtubules are arranged vertically, like barrel staves, along the inner aspect of the theta. Intermediate filaments form two networks: an inner, basketlike network and an outer series of circumferential bundles resembling the hoops of a barrel.
goblet cell theca