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biomolecular science > histology of connective tissue > Flashcards

histology of connective tissue Flashcards

1
Q

what are the 5 main functions of connective tissues

A

transport
defence
mechanics
energy store
connecting/linking

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2
Q

what does a tendon connect

A

muscle to bone

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3
Q

what does a ligament connect

A

bone to bone

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4
Q

what is the scaffolding that holds all cells within a tissue in place called

A

the extracellular matrix

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5
Q

what are the 3 main constituents of the extracellular matrix and what do they do

A

proteins - provide the scaffolding material and tensile strength
carbohydrates - associate with water to form a gel that resists compressive forces
water - provides soluble signalling medium - creates a vehicle for movement

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6
Q

what is ground substance

A

the space occupied by the glycosaminoglycan/ proteoglycans/ water component of ECM

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7
Q

why does ground substance change depending on the tissue its found in

A

do to the different needs to that tissue e.g. blood requires a completely liquid ground substance to allow for movement

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8
Q

name the 2 ways cells of connective tissue can be described

A

resident - cells which are permanently based inside the connective tissue
wandering/migratory/transient - cells that move through connective tissue either to fulfil a role within it or to another location

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9
Q

what is a fibroblast and what does it do

A

they are the ultimate connective tissue cell as they secrete a wide range of fibres and ground substance - they are very important in wound healing and tissue regeneration

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10
Q

name one famous role of a fibroblast

A

collagen producing machines - they secrete large amounts of tropocollagen which can be assembled into collagen outside the cell

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11
Q

what are the 3 types of fibre components that make up connective tissue

A

collagen, elastic and reticular

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12
Q

which fibre component of connective tissue is the most abundant

A

collagen

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13
Q

what do collagen fibres do

A

helps tissues resist tensile strength (being pulled apart)

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14
Q

how many types of collagen are there

A

28

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15
Q

what is the main function of elastic fibres in connective tissues

A

to provide elasticity and flexibility

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16
Q

how are elastic fibres formed

A

fibroblasts secrete tropoelastin, which will later polymerise and form X-links - this is elastin

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17
Q

what changes in elastin fibres in order to achieve optimum elasticity in different tissues

A

if their structure is branched or in flat sheets

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18
Q

in regards to collagen what are reticular fibres

A

they are a type of fine collagen; type III collagen

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19
Q

what is the network that reticular fibres in connective tissue make called

A

reticulin

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20
Q

what is the classification of connective tissue based on

A

the proportion of cells, ground substance and fibres in addition to the conformation of the fibres

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21
Q

what are the two main classifications of connective tissue

A

dense and loose

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22
Q

what is dense connective tissue

A

connective tissue that contains a relatively high proportion of fibres and smaller amounts of ground substance

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23
Q

what can dense connective tissue be subcategorised into

A

dense regular and dense irregular

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24
Q

what is dense regular connective tissue and what are its functions

A

where the fibres in the connective tissue are aligned relative to one another - making it extremely strong and great at resisting tensile strength in one direction

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25
where is it common to find dense regular connective tissue
in tendons and ligaments
26
what is dense irregular connective tissue and what is its function
connective tissue where there is no obvious fibre orientation - making it very strong and able to resist tensile strength from any direction
27
where is it common to find dense irregular connective tissue
in the lower layers of the skin - dermis
28
what is loose connective tissue
connective tissue that contains a higher proportion of ground substance and a smaller proportion of fibres
29
what are the three subunits of categorisation used to describe loose connective tissue
areolar adipose reticular
30
what is areolar loose connective tissue
the most abundant connective tissue that contains a mixture of fibre types with no easily identifiable structure or configuration
31
where is it common to fine areolar loose connective tissue
beneath epithelial layers surrounding blood vessels
32
what is adipose loose connective tissue
a loose connective tissue that contains a tissue cell called adipocytes (fat stores)
33
what is the function of adipose loose connective tissue
to provide a layer of insulation and to act to protect internal structures within the body from external impacts
34
what is reticular loose connective tissue
a connective tissue that is made up of short, branched collagen fibres - similar to areolar connective tissue
35
where can reticular loose connective tissue be found
in lymphoid tissues such as lymph nodes, thymus, tonsils, spleen, bone marrow and liver
36
name 3 specialised connective tissues
cartilage, blood and bone
37
why is cartilage an atypical connective tissue
its avascular - does not contain any blood vessels
38
what are the resident cells within cartilage called
chondrocytes
39
what is cartilage often coated in
a film of irregular connective tissue called perichondrium
40
what are the three types of cartilage
hyaline, elastic and fibrocartilage
41
describe hyaline cartilage
colourless, transparent or 'glassy' substance that is often found in joints where it protects bone on bone friction
42
where is hyaline cartilage found when its not articular
the trachea, nose, larynx, and between the ribs
43
what gives hyaline cartilage its slippery properties
the relative abundance of glycosaminoglycans
44
describe elastic cartilage and its function
a cartilage that contains some collagen but also an abundance of collagen fibres so that it has the ability to withstand repeated deformation and return to its original shape
45
where is elastic cartilage found
the tissue in the lobe of the ear and the epiglottis
46
describe fibrocartilage and its function
it is the toughest type of cartilage as it contains very densely packed collagen fibres - making it useful at resisting compressive forces
47
where can fibrocartilage be found
in the intervertebral disk
48
what are the two types of bone tissue
cortical and cancellous/trabecular
49
describe cortical bone tissue
hard, compact exterior of bone
50
describe cancellous bone tissue
spongey, porous interior of bone
51
what are the cells that produce bone called
osteoblasts
52
what is the epiphysis
the rounded end section of a long bone
53
what is the diaphysis
the long section of bone between the epiphyses
54
what is the periosteum in regards to bone
the layer of dense irregular tissue that lines bone
55
what are the subunits of cortical bone called
osteons
56
what runs through the middle of each osteon in cortical bone
a canal called the Haversian canal
57
what does the Haversian canal contain
the bones blood and nerve supply
58
what is the lattice work series of struts/rods which forms the architecture of trabecular bone called
trabeculae
59
which type of bone has a greater porosity
trabecular
60
why is blood considered a specialised connective tissue
as it 'connect' different areas of the body chemically and physically via the circulatory system
61
what are the three types of muscle tissue
skeletal, smooth and cardiac
62
what are the cells of muscles called
myocytes
63
what is skeletal muscle and what is its function
skeletal muscle is made up of large cells with multiple nuclei that are peripheral, and cytoplasm that contains myosin and actin - this is important as these proteins are what cause muscle to contract and relax in order to move the bones in the body
64
why does skeletal muscle appear striated
due to the arrangement of proteins being in repeated subunits parallel to the direction of force
65
what is one major difference between skeletal muscle and smooth muscle
skeletal is voluntary whereas smooth muscle is involuntary
66
what can smooth muscle be found
the inside of hollow organs such as the bladder, blood vessels and the GI tract, respiratory tract and uterus
67
where is cardiac muscle exclusively found
in the walls of the heart
68
is cardiac muscle striated
yes
69
describe the arrangement of cells in cardiac muscle
cells arranged in a branched, tubular structure, held together by areolar connective tissue
70
what are heart muscle cells called
cardiomyocytes

biomolecular science (15 decks)

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