BIOL 2410 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Brown Adipose Tissue, Skeletal Muscle, Loose Connective Tissue
Document Summary
Connective tissues: provide structural support and physical barrier to defend the body from foreign invaders like bacteria. Includes blood, support tissues for skin and internal organs, cartilage and bone. Structure of connective tissue: ground substance: the ecm of connective tissue is a ground substance of proteoglycans and water in which insoluble protein fibers are arranged, sometimes used interchangeably with matrix. Connective tissue is made of the cells and the matrix (ground substance and protein fibers: figure 3. 12. Fixed cells: connective tissue cells that lie embedded in the ecm, they are responsible for local maintenance, tissue repair, and energy storage. Mobile cells: responsible mainly for defence: a cell type that is fixed in one location may be mobile in another location. Ecm is non living, connective tissue constantly modify it though (add/delete molecules) Cells that make ecm have the suffix blasts: fibroblasts: connective tissues that secrete collagen rich matrix, osteoblast, found in bone.