Histology: Connective tissue (lecture) Flashcards
What type of connnective tissue surrounds vessels and nerves?
loose CT (acts to fill and pack around)
T or F: dense CT has thinner fibers than loose CT?
False
What type of connective tissue is characterized by loose packing of its fibers?
Loose CT
What type of CT has large, closely packed fibers and contains cells that are mostly fibroblasts?
Dense CT
What are 4 areas where dense irregular CT can be found?
Stroma of organs
dermis of skin
periosteum and perichondrium
capsules of organs
What are 3 areas where dense regular CT can be found?
tendons
ligaments
aponeurosis
What does dense regular CT consist of?
fibroblasts in linear rows and paralel-oriented collagen fibers
What type of collagen is typically found in dense regular CT?
type I - resisted tensile stress
Where can reticular connective tissue be found? (5 places)
bone marrow lymph nodes lymph nodules spleen tonsils
T or F: reticular cells are modified fibroblasts?
True
What type of collagen makes up reticular fibers?
type III collagen
What allow special stains to be used in reticular fiber visualization?
Lots of carbohydrates
Compare reticular cells to fibroblasts
they are branching and have much more cytoplasm (they lie along the length of the reticular fiber)
What type of cells and fibers are most important in lymph nodes and blood forming organs?
Reticular cells
What is the earliest CT in the embryo?
mesenchyme - undifferntiated and can form all kinds of CT
T or F: mesenchyme contains sparse reticular fibers in an abundant ground substance?
True
T or F: Mesenchymal cells are non-existent in adulthood
False - they are more common in children but a smaller amount persist into adulthood
What is a pericyte?
adult mesenchymal cell that can give rise to fibrolasts and participate in new vessel formation during wound healing
How does CT participate in tissue repair in the body most often?
fibroblasts become myofibroblasts and mesenchymal stem cells
Describe what scar tissue is.
dense irregular CT that may compromise function (e.g. cornea)
What are myofibroblasts derived from?
fibroblasts
What cells are partly responsible for wound contraction?
myofibroblasts
T or F: myofibroblasts are intermediates between fibroblasts and smooth muscle because they contain actin.
True
How do myofibroblasts work?
They have proteins attached to collagen outside of cell and actin in the cell. The proteins move along actin and grip onto collagen to pull cells together
What happens as a clot forms in the skin?
macrophages and neutophils invade and clean up debris, dead cells, degrade ECM and collagen