Connective Tissue (Components and Purpose) Flashcards
What are the purposes of connective tissue?
Binds and strengthens other body tissues, acts as a transport system, stores energy reserves
Where is connective tissue not found?
Body surfaces (if you can see your connective tissue it’s a bad thing)
Are connective tissues generally highly vascular?
Yes (with few exceptions)
Which connective tissues are not highly vascular?
Cartilage (avascular) and tendons (little blood supply)
Is connective tissue supplied by nerves?
Yes (with one exception)
Which connective tissue is not supplied by nerves?
Cartilage
What are the components of connective tissue?
Cells and an Extracellular Matrix
What are the components of the Extracellular Matrix?
Ground Substance and Protein Fibers
Which component of connective tissue primarily dictates its qualities?
The Extracellular Matrix (Cartilage: ECM is firm and Rubbery
Bone: ECM is hard and inflexible)
What are the components of Ground substance?
Water, Proteins and Polysaccharides (Sugars)
What are the sugars in the Ground Substance?
Glycosaminoglycans (GAGS)
Glycosaminoglycans join with core proteins to form what?
Proteoglycans
What is another word for Glycosaminoglycans?
Mucopolysaccharides
Glycosaminoglycans are ___ ___ polysaccharides, chains of ___ units of ___
Long unbranched polysaccharides, chains of repeating units of sugars
What are 4 different sulphated Glycosaminoglycans?
Dermatan Sulphate, Heparin Sulphate, Keratan Sulphate and Chondroitin Sulphate
What is a non-sulphated glycosaminoglycan?
Hyaluronic acid
Can Dermatan Sulphate, Heparin Sulphate, Keratan Sulphate and Chondroitin Sulphate bind with core proteins to form proteoglycans?
Yes
Can Hyaluronic acid bind to core proteins to form proteoglycans?
No
Glycosaminoglycans are highly polar and so attract ___ towards them
Water
The proteoglycan and hyaluronic acid complex becomes very ___ due to the glycosaminoglycans attracting ___ towards it
Hydrated, Water
Because the hyaluronic acid and proteoglycan complex becomes so hydrated, it becomes ___
Slippery
What does the slipperiness of the proteoglycan and hyaluronic acid complex allow it to do?
Form many lubricating substances around the body and allow cells to move past within the extracellular matrix
What does hyaluronic acid do?
Binds cells together and lubricates joints
What enzyme “eats up” hyaluronic acid?
Hyaluronidase
What does hyaluronidase do to the ground substance?
Makes it more liquid and easier for things to pass through it
What things make hyaluronidase?
White blood cells, sperm and some bacteria
Where are fibroblasts found?
Widely distributed through connective tissues
Can fibroblasts move?
Yes they are migratory
What is the purpose of fibroblasts?
They secrete components of the ECM (fibres and ground substance)
What are adipocytes?
Fat cells
Where are adipocytes found?
Under the skin and around organs
What do adipocytes store?
Fat (triglycerides)
What is another word for a macrophage?
Histiocyte
Macrophages are phagocytic. What does this mean?
The cell envelops and eat things (Bacteria, debris, damaged tissue, etc.)
In terms of movement, macrophages can be both ___ or ___
Fixed or wandering
Macrophages fixed within the lungs are called ___
Dust cells
Macrophages fixed within the liver are called ___
Kupffer cells
Macrophages fixed within the skin are called ___
Langerhan’s cells
Where do wandering macrophages wander to?
Sites of infection, inflammation or injury
Plasma cells are produced by ___
B-lymphocytes
What do plasma cells produce?
Antibodies
Where can plasma cells be found?
Many connective tissue sites, but especially in the gut, lungs, salivary glands, lymph nodes, spleen and red bone marrow
What do mast cells produce?
Histamine
What does histamine do?
Dilates blood vessels
Where are mast cells found?
Alongside blood vessels
What are leucocytes?
White blood cells (eg. neutrophils, eosinophils)
Where do leucocytes move from and to?
From blood vessels, through capillary walls into areas of inflammation, infection or injury
What are three types of protein fibres found in connective tissue?
Collagen, reticular and elastic fibres
Is collagen weak or strong?
Strong
Is collagen flexible or rigid?
Flexible to resist pulling forces
Where is collagen found?
Bone, cartilage, tendons and ligaments
What makes collagen?
Fibroblasts
What shape do collagen fibres take?
Parallel bundles
Reticular fibres are ___ fibres coated with ___
Collagen fibres coated with glycoproteins
What shape do reticular fibres take?
Thin and fine branching bundles
Where can reticular fibres be found?
In networks in vessels and through tissues such as adipose tissue, nerve fibres and smooth muscle tissues
Reticular fibres form a part of the ___ membrane
Basement membrane
Are elastic fibres are thicker or thinner than collagen?
Thinner
What shape do elastic fibres take?
A fibrous network
What are elastic fibres made of?
Elastin surrounded by fibrillin
Where are elastic fibres found?
Skin, blood vessels and lungs (anything that needs to stretch and morph)
