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Cells & Tissues > Mesenchymal Tissues > Flashcards

Mesenchymal Tissues Flashcards

1
Q

What is a connective tissue?

A

A tissue derived from the mesoderm

It acts to support the epithelium

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2
Q

What are the 6 things that connective tissue provides?

A
  1. general structure/mechanical strength
  2. space filling
  3. physical support
  4. metabolic support
  5. protection (e.g. immune cells)
  6. blood vessels/lymphatics
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3
Q

What is the difference in appearance of epithelium and connective tissue?

A

epithelium has a homogenous appearance

connective tissue has a heterogenous appearance

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4
Q

How does connective tissue provide tensile strength?

What is an example?

A

It provides resistance to pulling, stretching and tearing

e.g. collagen fibres

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5
Q

How does connective tissue provide elasticity?

What is an example?

A

It returns to its original shape after physical distortion

e.g. elastin fibres

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6
Q

How does connective tissue provide volume?

What is responsible for this?

A

It provides volume/padding

The ground substance is responsible for this

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7
Q

How does adipose tissue provide volume?

A

It provides padding, structure and physical form

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8
Q

How are connective tissue cells separated?

A

They are widely separated by acellular material called the extra-cellular matrix (ECM)

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9
Q

What are the three groups of connective tissue?

A
  1. embryonic
  2. adult
  3. special
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10
Q

What is the main component of the extracellular matrix?

What is it made from?

A

A jelly-like substance called the ground substance

It is made from glycoaminoglycans, proteins and glycoproteins

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11
Q

What types of fibres run through the ECM?

What is their function?

A

Elastin fibres provide elasticity

Collagen fibres provide tensile strength

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12
Q

Why does tissue fluid that leaks from capillaries move towards the ground substance?

A

The ground substance is hydrophilic so the tissue fluid is attracted to it

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13
Q

What is meant by the ECM being acellular?

A

It contains no cells

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14
Q

What type of cells make the ECM?

A

Fibroblasts make the ECM and all of the proteins within it (e.g. collagen, elastin)

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15
Q

What are the two types of support cells found within connective tissue?

A
  1. inflammatory cells

2. fibroblasts/myofibroblasts

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16
Q

Why are the inflammatory cells described as support cells?

A

they are not active under normal circumstances

they only become active once injury has occurred

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17
Q

What do fibroblast look like?

What does their nucleus and cytoplasm look like?

A

Spindle-shaped

Elliptical nucleus

Long and thin cytoplasm

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18
Q

What is the function of fibroblasts?

A

They are multi-functional

They secrete and synthesise all of the ECM, including the collagen and elastin fibres

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19
Q

What do myofibroblasts look like?

What does their nucleus and cytoplasm look like?

A

They are stellate (star-shaped)

They have a rounded nucleus with prominent nucleoli

They have basophilic (purple) cytoplasm

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20
Q

What is the function of myofibroblasts?

A
  1. involved in synthesis and secretion of the ECM

2. contractile function that is involved in wound healing

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21
Q

What is the role of macrophages within the ECM?

A

They can break down and rebuild the ECM

They also secrete chemicals involved in inflammation

Involved in immunity, healing and repair

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22
Q

What do macrophages look like?

A

They have abundant granular cytoplasm

They have a ‘kidney-bean’ shaped nucleus

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23
Q

What is meant by macrophages, mast cells and plasma cells being intrinsic?

A

They are fixed and sit within the tissue waiting to become active

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24
Q

What is the role of mast cells in the ECM?

A
  1. assist in neutrophil recruitment

2. involved in innate immune response

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25
Q

What receptors are found on the surface of mast cells?

A

High affinity IgE receptors

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26
Q

What do mast cells look like?

What is significant about their structure?

A

Look like a pink fried egg

There is lots of cross-linking leading to degranulation

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27
Q

What is the role of the plasma cells within the ECM?

A

They synthesise and secrete immunoglobulins

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28
Q

What do plasma cells look like?

A

They have a granular ‘clock-face’ nucleus

They have purple cytoplasm

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29
Q

What is ‘the Hoff’ in a plasma cell?

A

A perinuclear pale area that is part of the Golgi apparatus

It is abundant as the role of the plasma cell is to synthesise and release antibodies

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30
Q

When do extrinsic inflammatory cells move into the connective tissue?

A

They sit in the bloodstream and move into the connective tissue in response to infection

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31
Q

What is the main type of fibre in connective tissue?

What is its key property?

A

Collagen fibres

They have very high tensile strength

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32
Q

What happens to collagen fibres after they are secreted?

A

They are secreted by fibroblasts as monomers and then polymerise

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33
Q

Where are the 4 types of collagen mainly found?

A

Type I - skin, tendons, ligaments

Type II - cartilage

Type III - forms reticular network of organs and lymph nodes

Type IV - involved in basement membranes

34
Q

How are elastic fibres formed after secretion from fibroblasts?

A

They are secreted by fibroblasts as tropoelastin

Tropoelastin interacts with fibrillin and fibulin-1 to form elastic fibres through aggregation in the extracellular space

35
Q

What is the purpose of elastic fibres in the ECM?

Where are they abundant?

A

They give elastic recoil properties

They are abundant in the blood vessels, lungs and bladder

36
Q

What is Marfan syndrome caused by?

A

A defect in fibulin-1 meaning elastic fibres cannot be made properly

37
Q

What do sufferers of Marfan syndrome look like?

What are they prone to?

A

Tall individuals with long arms and fingers

They are prone to vascular problems

38
Q

What are the two main components that make up the ground substance?

A
  1. Glycoproteins
  2. Complex carbohydrates called GAGs

Water is attracted to both of these

39
Q

What results from the ground substance being hydrophilic?

A

It readily binds to and interacts with water

It attracts extracellular fluid that leaks out of capillaries

40
Q

What are the 4 functions of the ground substance?

A
  1. provides tissue volume and compression resistance
  2. forms a physical barrier
  3. controls passage of molecules and cells through tissues
  4. controls exchange of metabolites between tissues and the circulatory system
41
Q

What are GAGs?

A

Glycoaminoglycans

Long, unbranched polysaccharide chains that contain amino groups

42
Q

What is the structure of a GAG?

A

They have repeating units of 2 sugar derivatives

e.g. uronic acid and amino sugar N-acetyl-glucosamine

43
Q

What is the predominant GAG in the ground substance?

What type of molecules does it form?

A

Hyaluronic acid

It forms large unbranching linear molecules that contribute to the hydrophilic properties of the ground substance

44
Q

What are proteoglycans?

A

GAGs, other than hyaluronic acid, that form carbohydrate chains which are linked to protein molecules

45
Q

What will proteoglycans bind to within the ground substance?

What is the purpose of this?

A

They bind to hyaluronic acid to form large hydrophilic molecules

They attract tissue fluid, which gives resistance to compression

46
Q

What other molecules will proteoglycans bind to?

A
  1. they act as enzyme inhibitors and are involved in enzyme remodelling
  2. growth factors
  3. cytokines
  4. cell surface receptors
47
Q

What is the importance of proteoglycans?

A

They are important in the interaction between the ECM and other cell types

48
Q

What makes up the ground substance?

A

GAGs, proteoglycans and tissue fluid

49
Q

What are the cells of all connective tissues derived from?

A

Precursor cells in the embryonic mesenchyme

50
Q

What is the embryonic connective tissue in the umbilical cord?

What is significant about it?

A

“Wharton’s jelly”

It is the source of mesenchymal stem cells

51
Q

What are the 2 types of adult connective tissue?

A
  1. loose
  2. dense

can be dense irregular or dense regular

52
Q

Where is loose connective tissue found?

A
  1. in the mucosa and submucosa of organs

2. around blood vessels, nerves and muscles

53
Q

What is the composition of loose connective tissue like?

A

There are a lot more cells than there are collagen or elastic fibres

54
Q

What is the composition of dense regular connective tissue?

Where is it found?

A

It has more collagen fibres than cells

It is found in tendons, ligaments and the cornea

55
Q

What is the arrangement of collagen like in dense regular CT?

What is the result of this?

A

Regular arrangement of collagen

It is densely compact to provide strength and resistance to mechanical strain

56
Q

What is the composition of dense irregular connective tissue?

Where is it found?

A

It contains more fibres than cells

It is found in the dermis of the skin

57
Q

What is the arrangement of collagen like in dense irregular CT?

What is the result of this?

A

Irregular and random arrangement of collagen

There is a degree of tensile strength, but not as much as dense regular

58
Q

What is reticular connective tissue and what is required in order to see it?

A

It is a specific form of irregular loose CT

It requires silver stains in order to be seen

59
Q

Where is reticular CT found?

A

In the stroma of various organs including liver, spleen and lymph nodes

60
Q

What type of connective tissue is elastic tissue?

Where is it found and what is its purpose?

A

It is irregular and made from elastic fibres

It provides elasticity and recoil

It is found in the walls of tubular structures

61
Q

What are the 4 types of specialised CT found in adults?

A
  1. adipose tissue
  2. cartilage
  3. bone
  4. bone marrow
62
Q

What are the types of cells found in adipose tissue and what is their function?

A

Adipocytes

They are involved in energy storage

They also have an endocrine function and secrete hormones into the blood

63
Q

What are adipocytes derived from?

A

Lipoblasts and are from a mesenchymal stem cell origin

64
Q

What is white adipose tissue comprised of?

A

It is mostly empty space

65
Q

What are the functions of white adipose tissue?

A
  1. triglyceride storage
  2. structural filling
  3. thermal insulation
  4. shock absorption
66
Q

Where is brown adipose tissue found and what do the cells look like?

A

Found in newborn mammals and hibernating animals

Cells are bubbly/foamy and contain lots of lipid

67
Q

What is the function of brown adipose tissue?

A
  1. heat generation

2. temperature regulation

68
Q

What are the specialised cells found in cartilage and what is their function?

A

Chondroblasts

They secrete collagen, elastin and ECM

They produce the ground substance

69
Q

What happens when chondroblasts secrete the extracellular matrix?

A

They become trapped inside the matrix they produce

They then form mature cartilage cells - chondrocytes

70
Q

Where is hyaline cartilage found and what is its composition?

A

Found at the surface of joints and acts as a shock absorbed

It contains lots of ground substance and few fibres

71
Q

Where is fibrocartilage found? What is its composition?

A

Found in the intervertebral discs

It contains lots of collagen fibres and is similar to dense connective tissue

72
Q

Where is elastic cartilage and what is its composition?

A

It contains lots of elastic fibres to make it firm and flexible

It is found in the larynx and external ear

73
Q

What is the secretory component of bone and what does it produce?

A

Osteoblasts

They produce fibres and the ECM

They produce osteoid

74
Q

What is osteoid?

A

The unmineralised organic component of bone

75
Q

What happens to the ECM produced by osteoblasts?

A

It becomes mineralised by calcium hydroxyapatite

It then becomes hard

76
Q

What happens to the osteoblast once it is trapped inside the ECM?

A

It forms an inactive osteocyte

77
Q

What us an osteoclast?

A

A multinucleated cell that breaks down and remodels bone

78
Q

What is the composition of woven bone?

What is its fate?

A

It has an irregular appearance and comprises random collagen fibres in the osteoid

It is remodelled to lamellar bone

79
Q

How is woven bone produced?

Why is it formed?

A

It is produced rapidly by osteoblasts

The ECM is randomly arranged

It is made quickly and haphazardly during fractures and foetal development

80
Q

What is the composition of lamellar bone?

A

It has parallel bands/sheets of collagen

It is compact and cancellous and forms long thin strands of bone

81
Q

What is lamellar bone?

A

It is normal healthy adult bone

82
Q

Where is bone marrow found and what does it contain?

A

Found in the trabecular bone cortical space

Contains haematopoietic stem cells

Cells & Tissues (4 decks)

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