CONNECTIVE TISSUES 1:

1
PROPER & SPECIAL CT
 CONNECTIVE TISSUES
• Basic
Tissues with
supportive
functions:
– Structural
– Nutritive
• Major
subdivisions:
– CT Proper ( =
Fibrous CT)
– Special CT
– Cartilage and
Bone
Bone
Collagenous Connective Tissue
– Blood stained with Masson’s method
COMPONENTS OF CT
• All CT’s have three components:
– Extracellular Matrix
– Extracellular Fibers
– Characteristic cell types

• Proportions vary widely

– Ratio determines properties

• All CT’s
CT’ have
h similar
i il components
t
and share cell types
 THE MATRIX
• Fibrillar components and cells reside in
an amorphous matrix
– Produced by CT cells
– Usually a viscous liquid or gel
– Invariably contains glycoproteins and/or
proteoglycans
• Strongly PAS+
• Most important component is hyaluronic acid
– Fills interstices of the tissue
– Barrier to bacteria
– Shock absorber
 FIBERS OF CT
CT’S
S

• TWO PRINCIPAL TYPES

– COLLAGEN
• “Reticular fibers”
– A subdivision
• ELASTIC FIBERS
 COLLAGEN
• Most common protein
in animals
• Present in all CT’s to
some extent
• Many different types
known
• Confers strength and
tearing resistance to
CT’s
• Most types have a
typical appearance in
EM as “banded” fibrils
 COLLAGEN TYPES
pp left,,
Clockwise from upper
Type I,Type III,Type IV

• Type I:
I: most abundant; skin, bone, tendon, Type II:
II: unbanded; found
i cartilage
in til
• Type III:
III: “Reticular fibers”
• Type IV:
IV: unbanded; major component of basement membranes
 A
BIOLOGICAL
“ROPE”

• Multi-
Multi-strand
construction
with
overlapping
monomers of
tropocollagen
• Confers
conspicuous
bandingg
pattern in
TEM
Staggering of overlap creates pattern of light & dark bands at
640Å intervals, BUT NOT ALL COLLAGEN IS BANDED!
 CHEMISTRY OF COLLAGEN
• Three different strand types
– Monomers synthesized intracellularly; exported & “cured” in
glycocalyx
l l
• Two unique amino acids
– Hydroxyproline
– Hydroxylysine
– Proportions vary: an assay for collagen content
 COLLAGEN
SYNTHESIS
Same pathway as
other protein
synthesis

Soluble precursor
(tropocollagen)
made
intracellularly
y

Tropocollagens
exported

Fibers assembled
& spun outside
t id
cell!
 “RETICULAR FIBERS”

• Outmoded term still used

• Chemically a form of collagen, Type III
• Fibrils smaller than most other collagen
Assembled as webs and fine networks, not
bundles
“RETICULAR FIBERS”

• Associated with
blood vessels
and lymphatics,
etc.
• Anchor vessels
& nerve fibers
• Always
associated with
other collagen
types in vivo
• NOT COLLAGEN
– Chemically
different
ELASTIC
• Two
components:
FIBERS
fibrils &
amorphous
ground material,
elastin
• C f
Confer
“springiness”
• Much less
common than
collagen
• Always
associated with
collagen
• Form strands or
sheets
• Fibers contain
elastin
ELASTIC
FIBERS
IN SITU

Note size,
proximity
p y to
collagen
fibers,
association
with
microfibrils
ELASTIC FIBERS IN CROSS SECTION
 HISTOLOGY OF CT’S:
FIBROUS CT’s
• Also “CT Proper” in some references
• Fibers are pprincipal
p elements
• Matrix moderate
• All cell types present
• Classified by density and
arrangements of fibers
– “Loose” Vs. “Dense”
– “Regular”
Regular Vs. “Irregular”
Irregular
 TYPES OF FIBROUS CT’S
• COLLAGENOUS
– Mainly
M i l collagenous
ll fibers
fib
• Elastic Fibers always present
– Most common type, many forms
– High tensile strength due to collagen

• ELASTIC
– Principally elastic fibers
• Collagen Fibers always present
– Form bands and sheets
– Provides for elasticity, resilience, shape
retention
 CLASSIFYING
FIBROUS
CT’S
CT S

• FIBER
ORIENTATION
– Regular
g or
irregular
• FIBER PACKING
– Loose or dense
• FIBER TYPE
– COLLAGEN
– ELASTIC
“IRREGULAR” Both “Dense” & “Loose” forms exist
“REGULAR” Only the “dense” form exists!
REGULAR VERSUS IRREGULAR
TENDON: COLLAGENOUS DR
DRCCCT
NUCHAL LIGAMENT:
DENSE, REGULAR,
ELASTIC CT
DENSE IR
IRREGULAR
REGULAR CT
LOOSE IRREGULAR CT
• Usually very
cellular
• Cores of villi
• Internal
“scaffolding”
scaffolding
of some
organs
• Collagen,
C ll
elastic fibers
– Smooth
muscle
l
• Not easily
seen in LM
LOOSE IRREGULAR CT
LOOSE IRREGULAR CT
 CELLS OF CTs
• CT’s have MOST cell types in
common
• Most so-
so-called “blood cells” are
really
y CT cells
• Cells make & maintain all
components of all CT
• Usually cells function in CT only
 ORIGINS

• Nearly all
CT
C cells
ce s
have
common
stem
• Some
variant of
the
fibroblast is
always
present
• Most important &
abundant cell
FIBROBLAST
• Make fibers and
matrix
– Related by lineage
to cells with similar
capabilities
• Found among
fibers
• Long lived
• Proliferate and
become active if
needed
– “Mesenchymal”
cells a quiescent
reserve
 OUR FRIEND,
FRIEND
THE
MACROPHAGE

• Very common in
most CT’s
– Ubiquitous
phagocyte
• Shares lineage with
some bone cells
– NOT from
fibroblast line
– May coalesce to
form
multinucleated TOP: Active
“giant” cells macrophage in
– Extremely situ; BOTTOM:
p
important in
inflammatory A giant cell
reaction
• Widely
distributed
MAST CELLS
• Functions not
completely
understood
– Allergic
reactions
– Granules contain
heparin and
histamine,
leukocyte
attractants
• May y contain
serotonin
• Shared lineage
with
ith basophil
b hil off
blood MAST CELLS WITH TB STAIN
MAST CELLS

MAST CELLS WITH H&E

 PLASMA
CELLS

• An “activated” B
lymphocyte
– Site of production of
antibodies
• Very numerous under
epithelial sheets
• Accumulate in large
numbers when bodybody’s
s
integrity is breached
• Characteristic appearance
– “Clock
Clock face
face” chromatin
• Gradations exist
 “SPECIAL CTs”

• Have “traditional” components

p but
one will predominate and confer
overall p
properties
p
• Types of “Special CT”:
– “Reticular”
Reticular
– Adipose
– Mucous
 “RETICULAR” CT
• Fibrous component
is “reticular
reticular fibers,”
fibers,
i.e.,, Type III collagen
i.e.
• Form 3 3--D webworks
• More
M cellular
ll l thanh
most CT’s
• Relatively y little
matrix
• Found in:
– Stroma of lymphatic
organs
– Anchoring BV’s
– Hemopoietic areas
 MUCOUS CT

• Not normally
found in adult
mammals in any
significant
i ifi amount
– Fetal tissue
• Umbilical Cord

• Matrix material
predominant
element
• Gooey and wet
• Fibers very scanty;
cells scattered
 ADIPOSE CT

• Adipose cells are scattered in other CT

CT’s
s
– Singly or in clumps in any loose CT and some
dense ones
– Functions of adipose tissue are broadly
protective and supportive
• Two forms: “White”
White and “Brown”
Brown
WHITE
FAT
• Cells occur
singly or in
depots in
fibrous CT
• “Chicken
wire”
appearance
• Si l
Single
droplet of
lipid
• Energy
storage and
shock
protection
f
functions
ti
 WHITE
FAT CELLS
• Single large fat
droplet
– Not membrane
membrane--
bound
• Normal organelles
are present
– Nucleus displaced
• Wide distribution
• Long lived and non-
non-
dividing
• Principal functions
as energy reserve
and cushioning
BROWN FAT
• Despite “glandular”
appearance, NOT
secretory!
• Limited distribution
– Of most importance in
younger mammals
• Mitochondria content
high
• Uncouples
dephosphorylation of
ATP ADP
ATP>ADP
• Only function is heat
generation
BROWN •
•
Lipid bodies are multiple
Mitochondria & BV’s ggive it
FAT “brown” color in gross
specimens
“HE WAS THE NOBLEST
RODENT OF THEM ALL”

--William
-- William Shakespeare