Histology Flashcards
Explain the 3 layers that make up blood vessels
Tunica intima (squamous epithelial cells) Tunica media (smooth muscle) Tunica adventitia (supportive connective tissue)
What seperates the tunica media from the tunica adventitia
external elastic membrane
What seperates the tunica media from the tunica intima
internal elastic membrane
Explain what elastic arteries are
- large arteries e.g. aorta
- contain sheets of elastic fibres
- provide elastic recoil
Explain the histology of arterioles
- contain 1 or 2 layers of smooth muscle
- almost no tunica adventitia
Explain the histology of capillaries
- endothelial cells and basal lamina
- may contain pericytes
What are pericytes
connective tissue with contractile properties
What are the 3 types of capillaries
- continous (muscle, connective tissue)
- fenestrated (small pores - gut, endocrine glands)
- discountious (large gaps - liver, spleen)
What are the 3 layers of the heart
- endocardium
- myocardium
- epicardium
Where are intercalated disks found and what is their purpose
- found in the contractile cardiac muscle in the myocardium
- allows the spread of electrical activity
Two types of pericardium
- fibrous (fibrocollagenous connective tissue)
- serous (simple squamous epithemlium)
Serous lies in the inner surface of the fibrous pericardium
What lie inbetween the 2 pericardiums?
pericardial cavity
small amount of fluid for lubrication
Explain the histology of the heart valves
- outer endothelial layer with basal lamina
- layer of collagen and elastin fibres
- lamina fibrosa lies on the fibrous skeleton
- chordae tendineae (fibre like)
What would pacemaker cells look like down the microscope
- pale in colour
- smaller than contractile myocytes
What would purkinnje fibres look like down the microscope?
- paler in colour
- larger than cardiac muscle cells
- found in subendocardial layer
What are the 5 main components found in all Eukaryotic Cells?
- an outer membrane
- inner cytosol
- cytoskeleton
- membrane bound organelles
- inclusions
What are inclusions
- other structures within the cytoplasm which may or may not be bound by a membrane
What is the cytosol?
solution of proteins, electrolytes and carbohydrates
it has a fluid/gel-like properties
What is the plasmalemma?
- separates the cytoplasm from the outside environment
What is the plasmalemma composed of?
- amphiphatic phospholipids
- hydrophilic head
- hydrophobic (fatty acid) chains
- may contain integral proteins
What are 2 main differences between inclusions and organelles?
- inclusions are non-living, may or may not be membrane bound
- organelles are living and are membrane bound
What is the job of the rough endoplasmic reticulum?
- protein synthesis
- studded with ribosomes
What is the job of the smooth endoplasmic reticulum?
- cholesterol and lipid synthesis
What are the 3 main classes of filaments in the cytoskeleton? and what are their sizes?
- microfilaments (7um)
- intermediate filaments (>10um)
- microtubules (25um)
Explain microfilaments
- 7um
- composed of protein actin
- assemble and disassemble –> very dynamic
Explain intermediate filaments
- > 10um
- bind intracellular elements together and to the plasmalemma
Explain microtubules
- hollow tubule composed of alpha and beta tubulin
- originate from centrosome
- include stabilising proteins (MAPS)
- they are polar
What are kinesin and dynein?
what way do they move?
They are both ATPases that attach to microtubules
- Kinein moves to cell periphery
- Dynein moves to cell centre (dynein comes home for dinner)
Name given to the gap between the outer and inner nuclear membrane?
- perinuclear cistern
Euchromatin
- DNA that is more dipsersed
- actively undergoing transcription
Heterochromatin
- DNA that is highly condenses
- not undergoing transcription
What is the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and what are the 2 categories?
- forms a network of interconnecting membrane bound compartments in the cell
- SER
- RER
What is the Golgi complex composed of?
- flattened, membrane bound cisternae
What is the role of the Golgi complex?
- modification and packaging of macromolecules that arrive from SER and RER
What is the Cristae?
- Innerfolds of the mitochondrial membrane
What are intracellular junctions?
- specialised membrane structures which link individual cells together into a functional unit
What are the 3 types of intracellular junctions?
- occluding
- anchoring
- communicating
What do occluding junctions do?
- join cells together to create a diffusion barrier