Connective Tissue (Components and Purpose)

Question 1

What are the purposes of connective tissue?

Answer 1

Binds and strengthens other body tissues, acts as a transport system, stores energy reserves

Question 2

Where is connective tissue not found?

Answer 2

Body surfaces (if you can see your connective tissue it’s a bad thing)

Question 3

Are connective tissues generally highly vascular?

Answer 3

Yes (with few exceptions)

Question 4

Which connective tissues are not highly vascular?

Answer 4

Cartilage (avascular) and tendons (little blood supply)

Question 5

Is connective tissue supplied by nerves?

Answer 5

Yes (with one exception)

Question 6

Which connective tissue is not supplied by nerves?

Answer 6

Cartilage

Question 7

What are the components of connective tissue?

Answer 7

Cells and an Extracellular Matrix

Question 8

What are the components of the Extracellular Matrix?

Answer 8

Ground Substance and Protein Fibers

Question 9

Which component of connective tissue primarily dictates its qualities?

Answer 9

The Extracellular Matrix (Cartilage: ECM is firm and Rubbery

Bone: ECM is hard and inflexible)

Question 10

What are the components of Ground substance?

Answer 10

Water, Proteins and Polysaccharides (Sugars)

Question 11

What are the sugars in the Ground Substance?

Answer 11

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGS)

Question 12

Glycosaminoglycans join with core proteins to form what?

Answer 12

Proteoglycans

Question 13

What is another word for Glycosaminoglycans?

Answer 13

Mucopolysaccharides

Question 14

Glycosaminoglycans are ___ ___ polysaccharides, chains of ___ units of ___

Answer 14

Long unbranched polysaccharides, chains of repeating units of sugars

Question 15

What are 4 different sulphated Glycosaminoglycans?

Answer 15

Dermatan Sulphate, Heparin Sulphate, Keratan Sulphate and Chondroitin Sulphate

Question 16

What is a non-sulphated glycosaminoglycan?

Answer 16

Hyaluronic acid

Question 17

Can Dermatan Sulphate, Heparin Sulphate, Keratan Sulphate and Chondroitin Sulphate bind with core proteins to form proteoglycans?

Answer 17

Yes

Question 18

Can Hyaluronic acid bind to core proteins to form proteoglycans?

Answer 18

No

Question 19

Glycosaminoglycans are highly polar and so attract ___ towards them

Answer 19

Water

Question 20

The proteoglycan and hyaluronic acid complex becomes very ___ due to the glycosaminoglycans attracting ___ towards it

Answer 20

Hydrated, Water

Question 21

Because the hyaluronic acid and proteoglycan complex becomes so hydrated, it becomes ___

Answer 21

Slippery

Question 22

What does the slipperiness of the proteoglycan and hyaluronic acid complex allow it to do?

Answer 22

Form many lubricating substances around the body and allow cells to move past within the extracellular matrix

Question 23

What does hyaluronic acid do?

Answer 23

Binds cells together and lubricates joints

Question 24

What enzyme “eats up” hyaluronic acid?

Answer 24

Hyaluronidase

Question 25

What does hyaluronidase do to the ground substance?

Answer 25

Makes it more liquid and easier for things to pass through it

Question 26

What things make hyaluronidase?

Answer 26

White blood cells, sperm and some bacteria

Question 27

Where are fibroblasts found?

Answer 27

Widely distributed through connective tissues

Question 28

Can fibroblasts move?

Answer 28

Yes they are migratory

Question 29

What is the purpose of fibroblasts?

Answer 29

They secrete components of the ECM (fibres and ground substance)

Question 30

What are adipocytes?

Answer 30

Fat cells

Question 31

Where are adipocytes found?

Answer 31

Under the skin and around organs

Question 32

What do adipocytes store?

Answer 32

Fat (triglycerides)

Question 33

What is another word for a macrophage?

Answer 33

Histiocyte

Question 34

Macrophages are phagocytic. What does this mean?

Answer 34

The cell envelops and eat things (Bacteria, debris, damaged tissue, etc.)

Question 35

In terms of movement, macrophages can be both ___ or ___

Answer 35

Fixed or wandering

Question 36

Macrophages fixed within the lungs are called ___

Answer 36

Dust cells

Question 37

Macrophages fixed within the liver are called ___

Answer 37

Kupffer cells

Question 38

Macrophages fixed within the skin are called ___

Answer 38

Langerhan's cells

Question 39

Where do wandering macrophages wander to?

Answer 39

Sites of infection, inflammation or injury

Question 40

Plasma cells are produced by ___

Answer 40

B-lymphocytes

Question 41

What do plasma cells produce?

Answer 41

Antibodies

Question 42

Where can plasma cells be found?

Answer 42

Many connective tissue sites, but especially in the gut, lungs, salivary glands, lymph nodes, spleen and red bone marrow

Question 43

What do mast cells produce?

Answer 43

Histamine

Question 44

What does histamine do?

Answer 44

Dilates blood vessels

Question 45

Where are mast cells found?

Answer 45

Alongside blood vessels

Question 46

What are leucocytes?

Answer 46

White blood cells (eg. neutrophils, eosinophils)

Question 47

Where do leucocytes move from and to?

Answer 47

From blood vessels, through capillary walls into areas of inflammation, infection or injury

Question 48

What are three types of protein fibres found in connective tissue?

Answer 48

Collagen, reticular and elastic fibres

Question 49

Is collagen weak or strong?

Answer 49

Strong

Question 50

Is collagen flexible or rigid?

Answer 50

Flexible to resist pulling forces

Question 51

Where is collagen found?

Answer 51

Bone, cartilage, tendons and ligaments

Question 52

What makes collagen?

Answer 52

Fibroblasts

Question 53

What shape do collagen fibres take?

Answer 53

Parallel bundles

Question 54

Reticular fibres are ___ fibres coated with ___

Answer 54

Collagen fibres coated with glycoproteins

Question 55

What shape do reticular fibres take?

Answer 55

Thin and fine branching bundles

Question 56

Where can reticular fibres be found?

Answer 56

In networks in vessels and through tissues such as adipose tissue, nerve fibres and smooth muscle tissues

Question 57

Reticular fibres form a part of the ___ membrane

Answer 57

Basement membrane

Question 58

Are elastic fibres are thicker or thinner than collagen?

Answer 58

Thinner

Question 59

What shape do elastic fibres take?

Answer 59

A fibrous network

Question 60

What are elastic fibres made of?

Answer 60

Elastin surrounded by fibrillin

Question 61

Where are elastic fibres found?

Answer 61

Skin, blood vessels and lungs (anything that needs to stretch and morph)