Connective Tissue Flashcards
Where are some places in the body that CT can be found?
Padding
Fascia
Underneath Epithelium
What are the main functions of CT
Structural
Support
Metabolic
Defense
What is the primitive form of CT found in the early embryo
Mesenchyme
What two types of cells combine to form the mesenchyme?
Mesodermal and Specific Neural Crest Cells
What are the components of CT?
Cells
ECM
Ground Substance
Fibers
What are the 3 components of the ground substance?
Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs)
Proteoglycans
Proteoglycan aggregate
What is the name for the bottle brush molecules that combine all of the subunits of the Ground Substance?
Proteoglycan aggregate
What is the “backbone” of the proteoglycan aggregate
Hyaluronic acid
What are the branches of the Proteoglycan Aggregate?
Proteoglycans
What are the leaves/needles of the proteoglycan aggregate?
Glycosaminoglycans
What is the function of the glycosaminoglycans?
They are negatively charged and attract water to form a gel that is difficult to compress
What are the two adhesive glycoproteins that are involved in cell communication?
Fibronectin
Laminin
Where can Laminin be found in the epithelia?
It is part of the basal lamina
How can tissue fluid be described?
A blood filtrate that is similar to plasma
What type of cells secrete CT Fibers?
Fibroblasts
What protein makes up the fibers?
Collagen
Elastic Fibers
Reticular Fibers
How is collagen created?
Tropocollagen is secreted into a matrix where is spontaneously orients into fibrils
How many types of Collagen are there (for this course’s purposes)
4
Where is Collagen I found?
Dermis Bone Tendon DENTIN Fascia Fibrous cartilage
Where is Collagen II found
Hyaline and Elastic Cartilage
What is the main function of Collagen III
Component of Reticular fibers
What is unique about Collagen IV
It doesn’t form fibrils.
Its found in the basal lamina under epithelial cells
What is the composition of Elastic Fibers?
Amorphous core of elastin bound in a sheath of microfibrils
What cells make Elastic fibers?
Fibroblasts
Smooth Muscle Cells
Where can Elastic fibers be found?
In all loose connective tissue (along with collagen fibers)
What is unique structurally about Reticular fibers?
Non-banded
Where can you find reticular fibers?
Smooth muscle
Surrounding nerves
Provides framework for bone marrow and lymphoid organs
What physiological functions are reticular fibers used in?
Embryogenesis
Inflammatory process
Wound healing
What type of stain is needed for Reticular fibers?
Silver!
In cross section which is larger? Collagen or Reticular fibers?
Collagen is much larger
What are the 9 cell types found in Connective Tissues
Fibroblasts Monocytes Macrophages Lymphocytes Plasma Cells Mast Cells Neutrophils Eosinophils Adipocytes
What is the principle cell of the CT?
Fibroblasts
What are the two types of fibroblasts that can be found in the CT?
Active
Inactive
Describe the nucleus of an active fibroblast
Oval or spindle shaped
Euchromatic
Beyond the nucleus, what organelles are prominent under an EM?
RER
Golgi
How can you tell if the fibroblast is inactive?
The nucleus is very spindle shaped
Very heterochromatic
What is an inactive fibroblast called?
Fibrocyte
What feature defines the monocyte?
Large Cell
Horseshoe Shaped Nucleus
What does the Monocyte turn into?
Macrophage
Where are monocytes found?
CT
Peripheral Blood
What does the Macrophage nucleus look like?
Oval with distinctive Indentation
What organelles are found in the cytoplasm of the macrophage?
Lysosomes
Phagosomes
What type of Lymphocytes are in the CT?
T and B
Where do Plasma Cells come from?
B Cells
What type of nucleus is more common for Lymphocytes
Heterochromatic
