Connective Tissue Flashcards
What are the three main types of Connective Tissue?
CT Proper
Supporting CT
Fluid CT
What are the two sub-categories of CT proper?
Loose CT
Dense CT
What are the three types of Loose CT?
Areolar
Adipose
Reticular
What are the three types of Dense CT?
Regular
Irregular
Elastic
What are the two sub-categories of Supportive CT
Bone
Cartilage
What are the three types of cartilage?
Hyaline
Fibrous
Elastic
What are the two types of Fluid CT?
Blood
Lymph
Where is areolar tissue found?
Under most epithelia and fills spaces between muscle fibers,
surrounds blood and lymph vessels, and supports organs on abdominal cavity
What’s collagen’s role in Areolar CT?
holds connective tissues of the body together during movement.
Flexible and resists stretching
straight and unbranched
What’s the role of Elastic fibers in Areolar CT?
Contain protein elastin.
After being stretched, it will return back to it’s original state.
What do reticular fibers do in the areolar CT?
formed from same protein networks as collagen fibers, but branch.
Role of Mesenchymal Cells in Areolar tissue?
can differentiate into any type of connective tissue cells needed for repair.
What do Fibroblasts do in Areolar tissue?
Secrete polysaccharides to form extracellular matrix - collagen, glycosaminoglycans (GAGS) and proteoglycans.
Produce a viscous ground substance
Fibrocytes also found in matrix.
What is a fibroblast?
Active cell that secretes extracellular matrix with irregular (egg) shape
What is a fibrocyte?
inactive precursor of fibroblast with spindle shape
What is a macrophage?
Immune system - large phagocytic cells
Recruit cytokines to recruit other immune system cells to infected sites.
What is a Mast Cell?
A part of the immune system with many cytoplasmic granules
Sends histamine and heparin
What is heparin?
An anticoagulant that enhances local blood flow during inflammation that reduces blood clotting in slow moving areas.
What are lymphocytes?
immune cells within the areolar CT that help fight infection and may develop into antibody producing plasma cells.
What do microphages do?
They are attracted to site of infection or injury by chemicals released by macrophages and mast cells/.
What is ground substance in areolar CT?
Polysaccharides (hyaluronic acid) and proteins form a proteoglycan which attracts and traps water which forms a clear, viscous, colorless matrix.
What is Areolar Connective Tissue’s extracellular matrix made up of?
GAGS (glycosaminoglycans) - large and highly charged polysaccharides
fibrous proteins
a large class of non-collagen glycoproteins.
Where do you find the basement membrane?
Between an epithelial tissue and connective tissue.
What are Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs)?
unbranched carbohydrate polymers that are composed of disaccharide repeating units.
Water is strongly associated which keeps extracellular matrix hydrated.
Has an amino group and negatively charged carboxyl and sulfate groups.
What are proteoglycans?
molecules composed of polypeptides and maybe even GAGS attached by chemical bindings.
Assembled in cell and released by exocytosis.
How is shock absorbed in the body?
GAGS and proteoglycans deform and release water under mechanical load which absorbs impact, they then rehydrate after.
What is adipose tissue?
consists of mostly fat storage cells w/ little extracellular matrix
has a yellow tinge due to fat soluble carotene
capillaries within permit rapid storage and mobilization of excess calories as fat droplets.
What is Reticular Tissue?
A mesh-like supportive framework for soft organs
What connective tissue are ligaments and joints made from?
dense regular CT
What is regular dense connective tissue?
tissue fibers are parallel to one another which enhances tensile strength and resistance is stretching from beign pulled.
What CT are tendons and ligaments made of?
Dense CT
What is Irregular Dense CT?
Direction of fibers is random and gives strength in all directions
What type of CT is in the dermis?
irregular dense CT
What is special about Elastic dense CT?
it enables structures to regain shape after stretching
What is cartilage?
Soft, flexible and elastic CT that protects from bone friction, avascular.
What is the cartilage matrix made of?
proteoglycan and polysaccarides
What is hyaline?
Found in ribcage and nose and covers bones with moveable joints, it is a strong and flexible cartilage.
Dispersed collagen fibers and large amount of proteoglycans.
What makes the template in babies for future adult bone?
a plate of hyaline cartilage at the ends of bone.
What is fibroelastic cartilage?
Cartilage that limits movement, prevents bone-bone compaction and resists compression (spinal cord)
What cartilage is supportive but bends easily?
Elastic cartilage
What is bone’s extracellular matrix composition?
collagen fibers embedded in a mineralized ground substance containing hydroxyapatite.
Why is collagen important in bones?
Bones would be brittle and shatter easily.
