Connective Tissue Flashcards
CT vs. Epithelium
CT: widely spread, no polarity, vascularized (usually.. not cartilage)
general CT composition
cells + ECM
CT cells
long-term resident or transient resident
principal cell produces ECM components, all other cells do something else NOT produce ECM
Principal long-term resident cell
produces ECM components (ground substance + fibers)
usually fibroblasts
ECM components
- gelatinous ground substance + fibers/fibrils
- both parts produced by principal CT cell
Ground Substance
rich in GAGs and proteoglycans (interact to form proteoglycan aggregates)
secrete multiadhesive glycoproteins (stabilize matrix and aid in cell-connective tissue interactions)
GAG
Glycosaminoglycan
-long chain, linear polysaccharides
GAGs in CT
in ground substance: keratan sulfate, heparan sulfate, condroitin sulfate, and hyaluronic acid (hyaluronan)
- sulfate = negative (basophilic).. attracts sodium ions which attract water to the matrix
- interact with proteins to form proteoglycans
hyaluronic acid in ground substance
- longer and more rigid than other GAGs
- increases the viscosity of ground substance (makes it thicker)
proteoglycans
- linear proteins with glycosaminoglycan (GAG) side chains
- look like a bottle brush
proteglycan aggregate
proteglycan + GAG (hyaluronic acid)
mutiadhesive glycoproteins
- secreted by principal CT
- stabilize ECM and link EXM to the surface of cells
- ex: fibronectin and laminin (attach epithelial cells to basal lamina)
FIbrous component of CT
- proteins secreted from principal CT cells
- proteins assemble into fibrils (TEM), which usually assemble inter fibers (LM)
3 major types of fibers in connective tissue
- collagen
- elastic
- reticular (type III collagen)
constituency of CT
can be solid (bone) , watery (blood), or viscous (cartilage)
role of ground substance vs. fibers
fibers: tensile strength + resiliance
ground substance: diffusion of molecules + access of blood borne cells
fibroblasts (derived from? role in loose CT, function, in LM, in TEM)
derived from mesenchymal cells
PCT in loose CT
produce TYPE I COLLAGEN + ELASTIC FIBERS
in LM: elongated nucleaus, thin cytoplasm, and hard to tell (unless cell is making a lot of collagen)
in TEM: lots of rER (making proteins!), scalloped cell body, and thin processes extending from cell into collagen bundles
Macrophages (derived from? role in loose CT, function, in LM, in TEM)
derived from monocytes
-monocytes in blood, enter loose CT via diapedesis = macrophages
-function: resident phagocytic cells; phagocytosize bacteria or dying cells
in LM: larger nuclei than FB, and indented nuclear envelope, vesicles are apparent (foamy looking) when active
in TEM: lots of lysosomes, extending pseudo pods if active
mast cells
promote inflammation
granules in mast cells and their respective function
heparin (anticoagulant); histamine (promotes inflammation); eosinophil chemotactic factor tryptase (mast cell marker) NO leukotrienes (produced from PM after the release of granules)
uriticaria
hives;
produces from skin mast cell activation
explain inflammation response via mast cell (starting from antibody production) (DEGRANULATION OF MAST CELLS)
- antibody produced by plasma cell and released
- IgE specific receptor on extracellular mast cell bind the antibody to the mast cell
- antibodies bind to antigen (when present)
- ca 2+ channels open (calcium influx)
- granules pour out supstances: heparin (anticoagulant), histamine (promotes inflammation), eosinophilic chemotactic factor
- production of leukotrienes from PM (promotes inflammation)
“promote inflammation” = calls for leukocytes from blood vessel
leukocytes
promote immune response to antigens, parasites, or bacteria (that pass through epithelium)
-include granulocytes and agrangulocytes
cells in CT
- fibroblasts (produce collagen type I + elastic fibers)
- Macrophage (phagocytsize bacteria + old cells)
- Plasma cells (make antibodies)
- Mast cells (promote inflammation)
- adipose (energy storage, convert hormones to estrogen, weight control)
- leukocytes (promote immune response..WBC)
Loose CT ECM
produced from fibroblasts (PCT)
contain type I collagen, elastic fibers + viscous ground substance (sulfated and non-sulfated glycoasminoglycans
type I collagen
- most abundant type of collagen in humans
- most of loose and dense CT
- high tensile strength, but very flexible (links on a chain)
- best visualized with trichrome stain
how is type I collagen produced?
- from fibroblasts
1. FB secrete procollagen via constitutive exocytosis into ECM;
2. peptidase cleaves terminal end of procollagen = tropocollagen
3. tropocollagen proteins self assemble into collagen fibrils
4. fibrils assemble into eosinophilic fibers that are held together with proteoglycans
type IV collagen
- component of basal (external) lamina
- secreted by epithelial cells, adipocytes, schwann cells, muscle cells
- (also the anchoring protein in hemidesmosome)
Elastic fibers content/compostion
-made of elastic fiber, elastin (desmosine + isodesmosine), fibrillin, other glycoproteins
LITTLE HYDROXYPROLINE; NO HYDROXYLYSINE
function of elastin
stretchiness
function of fibrillin
organizing and structural protein
desmosine and isodesmosine
bind adjacent elastin molecule together to allow them to stretch and recoil
elastic fiber stain
orecein, resorcin fuchsin, aldehyde fuchsin, verhoeffs stain
Dense CT (Regular): location, structure
- in tendons/ligaments, type I collagen fibers are oriented linearly in direction to best resist stress
- poorly vascularized
- FB nucleus widely spread (compared to smooth muscle and peripheral nerve)
Dense CT (Irregular): location/structure
- in dermis of skin and capsule of other organs
- type I collagen is arranged into sheets and stacked. within each sheet the fibers are all lineraly aligned in one direction, but since the layers are stacked, it appears like they are going in all different directions (FB randomly w/in the collagen)
vit C and collagen?
vitamin C is a cofactor in the synthesis of type I collagen; deprivation of vit c greatly reduces collagen synthesis resulting in SCURVY (especially seen in the periodontal ligament anchoring teeth in their bone sockets.. loose teeth)
Loose CT vs. Dense CT
Loose: more cells less collagen
Dense: more collagen less cells