Connective Tissue Flashcards
Embryonic Connective Tissue
- Mesenchyme
2. Mucous
Name the two main types of adult connective tissue
- Connective Tissue Proper
2. Specialized (Connective Tissue)
What are the 5 categories of connective tissue proper?
- Loose (Areolar)
- Reticular
- Dense Regular
- Dense Irregular
- Adipose
Blood, cartilage, and bone are all specialized connective tissue, but cartilage and bone are considered supporting connective tissue as well, True or False?
True
Most widely abundant and widely distributed of all primary tissues in the human body is ______
connective tissue
List the main functions of connective tissue
- Binds, supports, strengthens
- Protection (skull, rib cage, sternum)
- Insulation (fat, internal organs softly packed)
- Compartmentalization (think nerve: 3 types of connective tissue layers)
- Transport (blood: waste products, O2, hormones, CO2)
- Storage of Energy Reserves (adipose, triglycerides, marrow in bone)
- Immune Responses (blood: WBCs)
BIT PICS bind, insulate, transport
protect, immune, compartment, storage
Where does connective tissue exhibit protection?
sternum, ribcage, skull (BONE)
Which specialized connective tissue is responsible for most transport? What does it transport?
Blood
O2, CO2, hormones
Describe 3 common characteristics of connective tissue
- Cells in an EC Matrix (vs epithelial: mostly cells; ECM differs for each CT)
- Common Origin (mesenchyme- makes cells that create ECM in all connective tissue)
- Degrees of Vascularity
Cartilage is _____ so it contains ____blood vessels
AVASCULAR
NO blood vessels
How is dense connective tissue in terms of degree of vascularity?
poorly vascularized
Bone is ____ vascularized, has a ____ blood supply, and is ____ at repairing itself
HIGHLY vascularized
great blood supply
good at repairing itself
Not all mesenchymal cells form connective tissue, True or False?
True
endothelial cells: line blood vessels
develop into muscle cells as well
or mesothelial cells (serous membrane)
Connective tissue is generally composed of what?
A. Cells
B. EC Matrix (protein fibers and ground substance)
Which three protein fibers are commonly found in the Extracellular Matrix of connective tissue?
- Collagen
- Reticular fibers
- Elastic fibers
What is ground substance composed of?
loose, amorphous between cells and fibers, hydrophilic (loves water)
- Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) (ex. hyaluronic acid and chondroitin sulfate)
- Proteoglycans
- Multiadhesive Glycoproteins (ex. laminin and fibronectin)
- between cells and fibers, medium through which diffusion may occur
- can be fluid (great for diffusion) or gelatinous, but could be calcified (not good for diffusion) as well in which case substances won’t diffuse
ECM is composed of
protein fibers and ground substance
laminin and fibronectin are examples of
Multiadhesive Glycoproteins in ground substance of ECM (connective tissue)
Plasma cell
Major product: Production of antibodies
Function: Immunologic
on TEM: massive amounts of rough ER, incredibly basophilic (very purple, hematoxylin (+)) looks like cookie crisp with rough ER around it)
-small dark rounded nucleus, chromatin in large blocks near nuclear membrane
(spokes of a wheel)
Lymphocyte
Major product: Production of immunocompetent cells
Function: Immunologic
Eosinophil
Major activity: Participation in allergic and vasoactive reactions, modulation of mast cell activities and the inflammatory process
Function: Immunologic
Neutrophil
Major activity: Phagocytosis of foreign substances, bacteria
Function: Defense
Macrophage
Major product: Secretion of cytokines and other molecules, phagocytosis of foreign substances and bacteria, antigen processing and presentation to other cells
-lots of lysosomes, rough and smooth ER
Function: Defense
develop from blood monocytes (out of blood stream and into CT, where they develop into macrophages)
Mast cell, Basophil
Major product: Liberation of pharmacologically active molecules (e.g., histamine)
Function: Defense
Adipose cell
Major activity: Storage of neutral fats and thermogenesis
Function: Energy reservoir, heat production