Connective Tissue Flashcards
What are the general functions of Connective Tissue?
Connect, Anchor, and Support the structure of the body
What are the types of Connective Tissue?
Connective tissue proper, Cartilage, Bone, Blood
What is the Extracellular Matrix?
The immediate environment that surrounds each individual cell; w/ ECF (extracellular fluid)
What constitutes the Extracellular Matrix?
A mixture of proteins and polysaccharides
Collagen, Elastin, and Non-fibrous proteins w/ CHO
What’re the Functions of the ECM?
- mechanical support for cells; scaffolding for cellular attachments
- transmits information
- transports nutrients
- carry away wastes
Which tissue type is comprised of mostly fat?
Adipose tissue
Which tissue type is composed of collagen, cells, and other fibers?
Loose connective tissue
Which tissue type is comprised of white blood cells, red blood cells, and plasma?
Blood
Which tissue type is strong and comprised of thick, densely packed collagen fibers?
Fibrous Connective
Which tissue type is comprised of chondrocytes and a matrix?
Cartilage
Which tissue type is comprised of osteocytes, cells, a matrix, and has a central canal?
Bone (Osseous)
What is Connective Tissue Proper comprised of?
protein fibers and a gel-like ground substance
What are the types of Connective Tissue Proper?
Loose, Dense, Adipose, Dense Irregular
What are the characteristics of Loose Connective?
collagen fibers are scattered loosely w/ room for blood vessels and nerves (Dermis of skin)
What are the characteristics of Dense Connective?
densely packed collagen fibers w/ little room for ground substance (tendons, ligaments)
Which tissue creates a Bone-Bone attachment?
Ligament
Which tissue creates a Muscle-Bone attachment?
Tendons
What are the characteristics of Adipose tissue?
stores fat, adipocytes
Usually stores subcutaneously (Dermis of skin) but can be visceral in obese individuals
What are the characteristics of Dense irregular tissue?
densely packed collagen fibers in various arrangments to resist force (Dermis of skin)
Which cell is responsible for making Collagen?
Fibroblasts
What’s the difference between Dense and Dense Irregular?
Dense connective tissue is arranged parallel to each other while Dense Irregular is arranged irregularly (and has stronger, thicker strands)
Cartilage serves as a template for what?
The skeleton during bone development (children have a lot of cartilage “soft spots”)
Where is Cartilage found?
In the Joints to provide a gliding surface for bones
What are the type of Cartilage?
Hyaline (joints), Elastic (ear), Fibrocartilage (stronger; intervertebral disks)
What are the 2 types of Bone cells?
Osteoblasts and Osteocytes
What is the function of Osteoblasts?
Build bones
Trap mineral salts, forming layers of calcified material around a canal filled with blood vessels and nerves
What are Osteocytes?
mature bone cells, hard, make canaliculi
What does “Excitable” mean?
It can engage in action potentials “cellular talk” in the form of electricity
Which cells are excitable ?
Skeletal muscle, neurons, and neuroglia
Neurons are specialized to…
Initiate, integrate, and conduct electrical signals to other cells
Neuroglia are…
Supporting cells that do not conduct signals and are responsible for a variety of functions
Nerves are…
Axons from many neurons packed together along with connective tissue
