Ordinary Connective Tissue

Question 1

What 3 categories can connective tissue be split into?

Answer 1

Dense, loose and specialised

Question 2

What 3 components does all connective tissue have?

Answer 2

Fibres, ground substance and cells. Fibres + ground substance = ECM

Question 3

What is ground substance?

Answer 3

Liquid intermediary for floaty bits.

Question 4

What is the most common CT cell?

Answer 4

Fibroblasts

Question 5

What is the role of fibroblasts?

Answer 5

Lives to supply the tissue around it with structural fibres.

Question 6

What types of dense CT is there?

Answer 6

Regular, irregular and elastic

Question 7

What are the types of loose tissue?

Answer 7

Areolar, reticular and adipose

Question 8

Where does connective tissue develop from?

Answer 8

The mesenchyme - which comes from the mesoderm layer of the embryo.

Question 9

What is the second most common CT cell?

Answer 9

Fibrocytes

Question 10

What 3 protein fibres are there?

Answer 10

Collagen, reticulin and elastin

Question 11

Define features of fibrocytes.

Answer 11

• Not very active
• More mature
• Spindle shaped

Question 12

Where is collagen found and why?

Answer 12

Skin, bone, tendons, cartilage - important for tensile strength and support.

Question 13

Where is reticulin tissue found and why?

Answer 13

Spleen, lymph nodes, bone marrow - important for structural support.

Question 14

Where is elastin found and why?

Answer 14

Lungs, elastic arteries, elastic ligaments and skin - elasticity.

Question 15

What are the features of areolar CT?

Answer 15

Lesser cells and more ground substance airy

Question 16

Why is areolar CT found?

Answer 16

Under the epithelial layer of organ systems with external openings e.g. under the dermis of the skin.

Question 17

What are the features of dense CT?

Answer 17

More fibres and less ground substance.

Question 18

What are features of irregular CT and where can they be found?

Answer 18

Randomly oriented fibres e.g. in the deep dermis of the skin.

Question 19

What are features of regular CT and where can they be found?

Answer 19

More organised - parallel bundles of fibres like in the tendons.

Question 20

Describe adipose tissue (features and what it looks like).

Answer 20

• Fat tissue
• Mostly cells - adipocytes - which store lipids for later use
• Looks like ‘chicken wire’

Question 21

Where is adipose tissue found?

Answer 21

Under skin

Question 22

Describe reticular tissue (features and what it looks like).

Answer 22

Like areolar tissue but with a woven mess of reticular fibres rather than collagen and elastin.

Question 23

Where is reticular tissue found and why?

Answer 23

Around the lymph nodes, spleen, kidney - holds your blood in place in many organs.