Histology of Connective Tissues Flashcards

Reticular fibers are composed primarily of which collagen type?

Answer: Type III collagen

Reticular fibers are thin collagen fibers composed of type III collagen, forming supportive networks in lymphoid organs and liver.

Which staining technique selectively demonstrates reticular fibers in histological sections?

Answer: Silver impregnation (Gomori)

Silver impregnation methods (such as Gomori's reticulin stain) selectively blacken reticular fibers, making them argyrophilic.

Plasma cells in connective tissue are terminally differentiated forms of which cell?

Answer: B lymphocytes

Plasma cells are terminally differentiated B lymphocytes specialized for antibody secretion.

The 'clock-face' or 'cartwheel' chromatin pattern is characteristic of which connective tissue cell?

Answer: Plasma cell

Plasma cells display a characteristic clock-face chromatin pattern due to heterochromatin arranged peripherally in the nucleus.

Which component of the basement membrane forms a self-assembling polygonal lattice?

Answer: Type IV collagen

Type IV collagen molecules self-assemble into a polygonal lattice network that forms the structural scaffold of all basement membranes.

Adipose tissue is classified as a type of connective tissue because:

Answer: It contains cells within an extracellular matrix of mesenchymal origin

Adipose tissue is a connective tissue because adipocytes (derived from mesenchymal stem cells) reside in an extracellular matrix.

Fibronectin in connective tissue ECM functions primarily to:

Answer: Mediate cell adhesion to the ECM via integrins

Fibronectin contains RGD sequences that bind integrin receptors on cell surfaces, mediating cell-ECM adhesion and migration.