Connective Tissue

Question 1

What are the three major groups of CT?

Answer 1

embryonic, adult, and special

Question 2

What are the categories of adult fibrous CT?

Answer 2

Loose, Dense regular and Dense irregular

Question 3

What are the six functions of connective tissue?

Answer 3

structural framework

protection

supports and interconnects other tissues (binding tissue)

energy storage (adipose)

transports fluids, cells and dissolved chemicals
throughout the body

defense against invasion by microorganisms

Question 4

What are the 6 cell types of connective tissue?

Answer 4

Fibroblasts

Mesenchymal Cells

Adipocytes

Chondrocytes

Osteoblasts

Hematopoietic Stem Cells

Question 5

What are fibroblasts?

Answer 5

cells in CT that produce collagen, proteoglycans, and glycoproteins

Question 6

What are mesenchymal cells?

Answer 6

Connective tissue stem cells (multipotent)

Question 7

What are adipocytes?

Answer 7

cells in CT that store and release fats (remove lipids from blood, stores it and releases it into the bloodstream when needed)

Question 8

What are chondrocytes?

Answer 8

cells in CT that produce and maintain cartilage components

Question 9

What do osteoblasts do?

Answer 9

produce bone components

Question 10

What do hematopoietic stem cells do?

Answer 10

produce red blood cells and immune cells (e.g., macrophages, mast cells, lymphocytes, plasma cells)

Question 11

What are the three cell types found in ECM (fibrous)?

Answer 11

Collagen, Elastin, Reticular ribers

Question 12

How does collagen affect the physical property of CT?

Answer 12

It resists tension. collagen fibrils are aligned and cross-linked to increase tensile strength

Question 13

Which collagen type is the most common?

Answer 13

Type 1

Question 14

How does Scurvy affect CT?

Answer 14

it weakens it; vitamin C deficiency; co-factor in cross-linking collagen fibers

Question 15

How does Ehlers-Danlos affect CT?

Answer 15

Abnormal collagen synthesis leads to weak collagen fibers

Question 16

How does Elastin affect the physical property of CT?

Answer 16

it allows for stretching; stretchable fiber. (assembly of tropoelastin, fibulin-1 and fibrillins 1/2)

Question 17

What is Marfan’s syndrome?

Answer 17

an autosomal dominant disorder where elastin is weak (mutation in fibrillin-1 gene). patient’s tend to be tall with long arms/legs

Question 18

What are the principle targets of Marfan’s syndrome?

Answer 18

ocular, skeletal and cardiovascular systems

Question 19

How do Reticular fibers affect the physical property of CT?

Answer 19

they form the supportive meshwork

Question 20

What is ground substance?

Answer 20

is an amorphous gel-like substance in the extracellular space that contains all components of the extracellular matrix except for fibrous materials such as collagen and elastin.

Question 21

What are four things that make up the ground substance?

Answer 21

proteoglycans, hyaluronan, glycoproteins, extracellular proenzymes

Question 22

What are three proteoglycans found in ground substance?

Answer 22

chondroitin sulfates, heparan sulfates, keratan sulfates

Question 23

what are three glycoproteins found in ground substance?

Answer 23

cytokines, growth factors, structural proteins (fibronect, laminins, tenascins, link proteins)

Question 24

What are three characteristics of embryonic connective tissue?

Answer 24

rich in ECM

rich in mesenchymal stem cells

some but not many collagen or reticular fibers

Question 25

What are the 5 types of adult mesenchymal stem cells?

Answer 25

fibroblasts, muscle cells (skeletal and smooth), osteoblasts, chondroblasts and adipocytes

Question 26

What are the three cell types in loose connective tissue?

Answer 26

areolar, adipose, reticular

Question 27

What is areolar tissue?

Answer 27

low density tissue with both fixed and wandering cells; widespread

Question 28

What is adipose tissue?

Answer 28

fat containing tissue?

Question 29

What is reticular tissue?

Answer 29

tissue rich in reticular fibers; forms an open framework to create a supportive mesh for holding free cells

Question 30

What are the three cell types of dense connective tissue?

Answer 30

Dense irregular connective tissue, dense regular connective tissue, and elastic connective tissue

Question 31

What is dense irregular connective tissue?

Answer 31

fibers that are deposited in a random pattern (dermis of skin)

Question 32

What is dense regular connective tissue?

Answer 32

fibers that are deposited in a highly regular pattern (tendons connecting skeletal muscle to bone)

Question 33

What is elastic connective tissue?

Answer 33

tissue rich in elastin fibers

Question 34

Which three cell types in loose areolar CT are fixed cells?

Answer 34

fibroblasts, adipocytes, and mesenchymal cells

Question 35

Which four cell types in loose areolar CT are wandering cells?

Answer 35

macrophages, mast cells, leukocytes/lymphocytes, plasma cells

Question 36

What are the three functions of loose connective tissue?

Answer 36

to support and bind other tissues; hold body fluids, defend against infection

Question 37

what is lamina propria?

Answer 37

loose connective tissue that is found immediately beneath membraneous epithelia

Question 38

What is adipose CT and what are the functions?

Answer 38

tissue that is characterized by abundant adipocytes and sparse ECM it provides reserve energy source and insulates against heat loss, supports and protects organs, and it is found under skin, around organs, within abdomen, breasts and buttocks

Question 39

What is white fat?

Answer 39

tissue that functions in energy storage, insulation, cushioning vital organs and hormone secretion

Question 40

What is brown fat?

Answer 40

key thermogenic tissue, abundant in newborns, greatly reduced in adults

Question 41

What is reticular connective tissue?

Answer 41

tissue rich in reticular fibers; form scaffolding for other cells

Question 42

Where is reticular connective tissue found?

Answer 42

liver, bone marrow, lymph nodes and spleen where the meshwork houses blood cells and immune cells outside blood and lymphatic vessels

Question 43

What is the principle cell type of dense irregular and regular connective tissue?

Answer 43

fibroblasts

Question 44

where is dense irregular CT found in?

Answer 44

dermis of skin, capsules that surround internal organs, perichondrium and periosteum, fascia

Question 45

where is dense regular CT found in?

Answer 45

tendons, ligaments, aponeuroses, dense fascia, joint capsules

Question 46

Where is elastic CT found in and why?

Answer 46

blood vessel walls, bronchiole tubes, special ligaments; because they allow recoil of tissue following stretching

Question 47

What do mast cells do?

Answer 47

secrete chemicals such as histamine that mediate the allergic response, and heparin, an anticoagulant of blood

Question 48

What do plasma cells do?

Answer 48

produce antibodies that mediate immunity