MSK Flashcards
What is the structure of a collagen fibre?
AA chain
Collagen chain
3 collagen chains form helix
Group to form fibril
Group to form fibre
What is the primary structure of collagen?
Triple repeat of glycine and 2 other AAs
Allows collagen to form chains and crosslinks
What is the structure of type 1 tropocollagen?
3 collagen chains- 2 alpha 1 chains, 1 alpha 2 chains form 3-stranded tropocollagen molecule
What happens in processing of type 1 collagen?
Ends (P1NP, P1CP) are cleaved off and released into circulation
What does tropocollagen go on to form?
tropocollagen modules are assembled into a collagen fibril
What holds tropocollagen molecules and fibrils together?
tropocollagen molecule and the fibril are held together by covalent crosslinks (both intra and intermolecular) derived from lysine/hydroxylysine side-chains
What are the different ways of joining collagen?
Covalent cross links within and between helix and tropocollagen- needs copper
H bonds within triple helix- needs vit c
How is collagen broken down?
collagenases and cathepsin K in bone break down collagen
normal for repair and replacement
can become pathological
What happens when type 1 collagen breaks down?
The telopeptides (NTX and CTX) are removed
What are the types of collagen and what are they for?
Type I – bone, tendon, ligaments, skin
Type II – articular cartilage, vitreous
Type III – alongside Type I – wound healing
Type IV - basal lamina
Type V – cell surfaces
Type X – growth plate
What is the shape of long bones?
tubular shape with hollow shaft and ends
expanded for articulation with other bones
What is the shape of short bones?
cuboidal in shape
What is the shape of flat bones?
plates of bone, often curved, protective function
What shape are sesamoid bones?
round, oval nodules in a tendon
What are cortical bones?
Dense, solid, compact
only spaces are for cells and blood vessels.
What are trabecular bones?
Network of bony trabeculae, looks like
sponge, many holes filled with bone marrow.
Cells reside in trabeculae and blood vessels in holes
How is woven bone made?
Made quickly
Disorganised
No clear structure
How is lamellar bone made?
Made slowly
Organised
Layered structure
What is the adult bone composition?
10% water
50-70% mineral, hydroxyapatite
20-40% organic matrix (90% type 1 collagen)
What is the function of hollow long bone?
keeps mass away from neutral axis
minimizes deformation
What is the function of trabecular bone?
gives structural support while minimizing mass
What is the function of the weak ends of bones?
spreads load over weak, low friction surface
What is the function of flat bones?
Protective
What are the cells of bone and what are they like?
Osteoclast- multinucleated
Osteoblast- plump, cuboidal
Osteocyte- stellate, entombed in bone
Bone lining cell- flattened, lining the bone
What cells do osteoblasts originate from?
Mesenchymal stem cells
What do osteoblasts do?
Form bone (osteoids)
Produce type 1 collagen
Mineralize the extracellular matrix by depositing hydroxyapatite crystal within collagen fibrils
High Alkaline Phosphatase activity
Make non-collagenous proteins
Secrete factors that regulate osteoclasts i.e. RANKL
Where do osteoclasts originate from?
Haemopoietic stem cells
What do osteoclasts do?
Resorb bone
Dissolve the mineralised matrix
Breakdown collagen in bone
High expression of TRAP and Cathepsin K
What are the stages of bone remodelling?
Resting phase
Activation
haemopoietic stem cells become osteoclasts
Reversal phase- osteoclasts leave, influx of mesenchymal stem cells
Formation- osteoblasts
What happens in bone modelling?
Gross shape is altered
Bone added or removed
What happens in remodelling?
All of the bone is altered
New bone replace old bone
Why do bones remodel?
Form bone shape
Replace woven bone with lamellar bone
Reorientate fibrils and trabeculae in favourable direction for mechanical strength
Response to loading (exercise)
Repair damage
Obtain calcium
What is the average amount of calcium in the body and where is it?
1200g in the skeleton
About 1g in the extracellular space
What is the purpose of calcium in the extracellular space?
Normal blood clotting
Muscle contractility
Nerve function
What are the 3 ways calcium can be in the blood?
Ionised, metabolically active
Protein-bound, not metabolically active (mostly bound to albumin)
Complexed, such as citrate, phosphate
What would happen in alkalosis to Ca?
Lower ionised Ca as more taken up by albumin
Serum calcium stays normally
What is total serum calcium normally?
2.2-2.6mmol/L
What is ionised serum calcium normally?
ionised serum calcium is about 1.1 mmol/L
How can calcium get into the extracellular fluid?
Calcium taken in from diet, 30% absorbed
Remove calcium from bone
Excrete calcium from kidneys
How is calcium lost from the extracellular space?
Faeces
Calcium reabsorption
Bone formation
What are dietary sources of calcium?
Major: dairy (milk, yoghurt, cheese)
Minor: veg, cereals, oily fish
How much calcium from diet is absorbed?
30%
Where is calcium from the diet absorbed?
Duodenum and jejunum for active absorption
Passive absorption in ileum and colon
How can calcium be released from bone?
Rapidly released from exchangeable calcium on bone surface
More slowly by osteoclast during bone resorption
What happens to calcium in the kidney?
Calcium is filtered
98% of filtered calcium is reabsorbed
PTH increases absorption
Sodium decreases
What determines how much calcium is filtered?
The glomerular filtration rate
The ultrafiltrable calcium (Ionised, complexed)
Which hormone regulates serum calcium?
Parathyroid hormone made from PT glands with Ca sensing receptor
How do calcium sensing receptors affect PTH?
Calcium sensing receptor inhibits PTH secretion if calcium too high
Low calcium = more PTH made and released
What does fibroblast growth factor do?
Regulates active form of vitamin D in response to phosphate
Increase phosphate excretion
How does vitamin D influence intestinal calcium absorption?
1,25-dihydroxyitamin D binds to Vit D receptor
3 proteins made for active transport of calcium
TRPV6 on lumen, calcium comes in from food via this
Then goes into blood
What does calcitonin do?
Hormone produced by C cells in thyroid
Secretion stimulated by an increase in serum calcium
Lowers bone resorption
Not that important in humans
What is PTH’s action of the cell?
PTH acts on target cell
One pathway makes cAMP
One makes calcium
What does PTH do?
Reduces phosphate reabsorption
Increases calcium reabsorption
Increases hydroxylation of 25-OH vit D
What happens in a low calcium diet?
Less calcium absorbed
Lower serum ionised calcium
Higher PTH
Exchangeable calcium quickly released form bone
Increased bone resorption and increased fractional absorption by intestine
Serum ionised calcium returns to normal
What is appositional bone growth?
Chondroblasts secrete new matrix on existing surfaces
increases the bone width or diameter
What is interstitial bone growth?
Chondrocytes secrete new matrix within cartilage
lengthening of the bone.
occurs within the lacunae
What is endochondral ossification?
involves the formation of cartilage tissue from aggregated mesenchymal cells and the subsequent replacement of cartilage tissue by bone
What is the axial skeleton?
Vertical axis of body
Skull
Vertebrae
Ribs
Sternum
What is the apendicular skeleton?
Supports limbs
Arms, legs, pelvis, shoulder, hands. feet
Functions of skeletal muscle
Produce movement
Support soft tissues
Maintain posture and position
Communication
Control openings of passageways
Maintain body temperature
Characteristics of muscles
Responsiveness- response to chemical signals, stretch, electrical changes
Conductivity- local electrical changes trigger excitation
Contractility- shortens when stimulated
Extensibility- can stretch
Elasticity- returns to original length
Structure of a muscle
Myocyte (surrounded by endomysium)
Muscle fascicle (bundle of cells, surrounded by perimyosium)
Muscle proper (multiple fascicles surrounded by epimysium
What are T tubules?
Sarcolemma invaginations that help propagating action potential
What is the average size of a myofibre?
Average length: 5cm
Average diameter: 100um
What is the sacroplasm?
Cytoplasm rich in glycogen to fuel contraction
How many sarcomeres per myofibril?
10,000
What is a sarcomere?
basic contractile unit of a myocyte
composed of thin actin and thick myosin
between the 2 Z discs
What does endomyosium surround?
individual muscle fibres
What does perimyosium surround?
a bundle of muscle fibres, forming a fascicle
What does epimyosium surround?
the entire muscle
What is the histology of a skeletal muscle fibre?
cylindrical
long and unbranched
multinucleated
banding pattern with cross-striations of alternating light and dark bands
light bands are divided by a Z disc (dark transverse line)
Describe the process of excitation-contraction coupling
- AP at neuromuscular junction travels down T-tubule to depolarise membrane
- Depolarisation of the sarcolemma triggers opening of voltage-gated L-type Ca2+ channels
- Calcium enters cell
- activation of ryanodine receptors located in the sarcoplasmic reticulum
- allows Ca to flow from the sarcoplasmic reticulum into the cytoplasm and further increases intracellular Ca conc
- Ca binds to troponin-c
- Conformational change reveals a binding site on actin for myosin head
- ATP hydrolysis, providing energy for actin and myosin to slide past each other
- Sarcomere shortens, contraction
What happens at the neuromuscular junction for skeletal muscle contraction?
- AP arrives
- Calcium channels open, intracellular calcium increases
- Triggers release of ACh from vesicles
- ACh activates nicotinic ACh receptors on muscle fibre membrane
- Depolarisation
- ACh broken down by acetylcholinesterase
What does acetylcholinesterase do?
Breaks down ACh in synaptic cleft to allow membrane repolarisation
What is the Z line of the sarcomere?
where the actin filaments are anchored.
What is the M line of the sarcomere?
where the myosin filaments are anchored.
What makes up the I band of sarcomeres?
actin filaments
What is the A band of sarcomeres?
the length of a myosin filament, may contain overlapping actin filaments
What is in the H zone of a sarcomere?
myosin filaments
What is nebulin?
an actin-binding protein which is localized to the thin filament of the sarcomeres in skeletal muscle
What are the functions of ligaments?
Attach bone to bone.
Augment mechanical stability of joints.
Guide joint motion.
Prevent excessive motion
What do ligaments attach?
Bone to bone
What do tendons attach?
Muscle to bone
What are the functions of tendons?
Connect muscle to bone
Aid joint stability
Provide joint torque, motion and restraint
What is the exception to tendon?
Patellar tendon connects bone to bone and is a ligament
What is the general structure or tendons and ligaments?
Dense connective tissues consisting of mainly parallel fibres
Extracellular matrix
Fibroblasts which synthesise & remodel extracellular matrix
Sparsely vascularised
How much of the tissue volume of tendons and ligaments is made up by extracellular matrix?
80%
What makes up the extracellular matrix in ligaments and tendons?
70% of tissue wet weight is water
30% solids [collagen, ground substance (proteoglycans and glycoproteins)]
Has a hierarchical structure
What does the sparce vascularisation of tendons and ligaments mean?
Poor capacity for healing
What does the dense connective tissue of ligaments and tendons enable?
Enables the tissue to sustain high tensile strains
What is the major component of the tendon and ligament fibres?
Type 1 collagen (90-95%)
Some type 3
What do proteoglycans do in tendons and ligaments?
Make up 1-5% of dry weight
Regulate fibre diameter during fibrillogenesis
Aid in keeping fibrils together
Act as lubricant to aid collagen fibres gliding over each other
How is collagen synthesised and processed?
synthesized within fibroblasts as procollagen
3 individual polypeptide chains each coiled in L hand helix, then combine to form R hand helix
Cross linking increases strength
Secreted outside the cell
Processed to remove terminal peptides (for tropocollagen) and self assembles into collagen fibrils
Describe process of fibrillogenesis
Collagen molecules group together to form microfibrils
Microfibrils combine to form subfibrils
Subfibrils combine to form fibrils (50-200nm diameter)
Fibrils combine together to form fibres (3-7µm diameter)
Fibres combine to form fascicles
Fascicles group together to form tendon fibres