Session 5 Flashcards
Describe the 6 functions of connective tissue
1) binding and supporting (such as holding skin, gut, lungs, etc. together)
2) protecting (such as bone protecting vital organs) {fat acting as a ‘shock-absorber’}
3) insulating (fat underlying skin) {bone marrow holding warm blood}
4) storing reserve fuel and cells (bone marrow and fat tissue)
5) transporting substances within the body (blood and interstitium)
6) separation of tissues (fascia and tendons/cartilage)
What is the interstitium?
Interstitium = space between tissues and organs of the body
What are the 2 types of connective tissue proper?
- Loose connective tissue (AKA areolar tissue) - areola = ‘little space’
- Dense connective tissue ( AKA ‘fibrous’ or collagenous tissue)
Describe loose connective tissue
- Lamina propria beneath mucosal membranes has this kind of tissue
- Attaches to the basal lamina of epithelial cells
- Least specialised connective tissue in the adult (as it doesn’t really have a speciallised function
Describe dense connective tissue
- Two types:
- Irregular - Fibres running in different directions
- Regular - Fibres run parallel to each other
Where are unilocular adipocytes present?
- In loose connective tissue
What colour is adipose tissue in humans and animals?
- White in animals
- Slightly yellow in humans, but it’s still called white adipose tissue in humans also
Describe the structure of unilocular adipocytes
A single enormous lipid droplet, with the nucleus, cytoplasm and organelles all squeezed to one side of the cell
What is the function of unilocular/white adipocytes?
Function:
- padding
- shock absorber
- insulation
- energy reserve
Why do adipocytes look white in H and E stain?
Difficult to see details in standard H&E because xylene and toluene strip out the fats
What happens when adipocytes are stained with geyemsa and toluadine blue in a frozen section ?
Nucleus displaced to periphery of each adipocyte
Give an example of multilocular adipocytes
- Brown adipocytes which gives rise to brown fat
Describe the structure of brown adipocytes
- Very few of these in the adult
* Multiple small lipid droplets, with the nucleus, cytoplasm and organelles all squeezed to the centre of the cell
Describe the function of brown adipocytes
Provides insulation and energy reserve
Give a summarised comparison and contrast of white and brown adipose tissue
White:
- Single lipid droplet
- Normal number of mitochondria (mitochondria gives cells it’s colour)
- Single peripheral nucleus
- In adults, lipid breakdown is slow and heat only generated after shivering reflex
Brown:
- Multiple lipid droplets
- Increased number of mitochondria makes it brown
- Single central nucleus
- In neonates and young children, lipid breakdown is accelerated, oxidative phosphorylation is uncoupled to generate heat (as they don’t have well-developed muscles so don’t have a shiver reflex to generate heat)
- Calories generated can double
What are adipose cells generated from?
Adipose cells generated from immature fibroblasts or mesenchymal stem cells
Label this image (White fat under electron microscope)
- Individual cells
- Collagen fibres
- Nuclei
What are the main fibres that are found in connective tissue?
collagen(s) and reticulin
What is collagen?
Collagen (cola is Greek for glue) is the commonest protein in our body and may constitute between 1⁄4 and 1⁄3 of our whole-body protein content; with the ground substance it constitutes the extracellular matrix
Name the 4 types of collagen you need to know in body logistics
Type 1,2,3,4
Describe collagen Type 1
The most widely distributed type (90% of all collagen). Fibrils aggregate into fibres and fibre bundles (e.g. in tendons, capsules of organs and skin dermis)
Describe collagen type 2
Fibrils do not form fibres (present in hyaline and elastic cartilage)
Describe collagen Type 3
Fibrils form fibres around muscle and nerve cells and within lymphatic tissues and lymphatic organs (e.g. spleen) and in tendons. It is called reticulin
Describe collagen type 4
Unique form present basement membrane (considered of epithelial tissues)