What is Connective Tissue? What Types of Connective Tissue are Found Throughout the Body?

Connective Tissue is found throughout the organism. It holds structures together, provides support and protection, gives structures a flexible and/or elastic quality, and absorbs shock. Some tissues are also involved with storage. The cells in connective tissue are far apart. The matrix is the material found between the cells.   The matrix contains fibers and a ground substance.

There are three categories of connective tissue cells. A -blast is a cell that secretes the matrix. A -clast is a cell that destroys the matrix. A -cyte is a cell that maintains the matrix.

There are three types of fibers that can be found in connective tissues. Elastic fibers are thin fibers that have the ability to stretch and return to their original shape. They are made of the protein elastin. Collagenous fibers are thick fibers made of the protein collagen. They are very tough and have a high tensile strength. Reticular fibers are thin fibers made of collagen. They give support to solid organs such as the liver.

 

Table 2. Structure, Function and Location of Connective Tissue Types

Tissue	Structure	Function	Representative Location
Loose Connective Tissue or Areolar	Both collagenous and elastic fibers suspended in a thick, fluid ground substance with scattered fibroblasts	Binds organs together,	Beneath the skin, between muscles
Adipose tissue	Large cells with a fat storage area, nucleus is pushed to the side by stored fat	store fat, protection, insulation	under skin, behind eyes, around kidneys and heart
Fibrous or Dense Connective Tissue	Thick, dense collagenous fibers with scattered fibroblasts	strong support	tendons, ligaments
Hyaline Cartilage	Chondrocytes in lacuna, matrix of chondrin	flexible support, protection	ends of long bones, end of nose, trachea
Blood	Red Blood Cells, White Blood Cells, and platelets in liquid matrix (plasma)	transport, protection	blood vessels
Bone	Osteocytes in lacuna, matrix of calcium salts, central canal	support, protection	bones

 

The following video gives an overview of connective tissue.

Video 9. View the Connective Tissue video on YouTube (opens in a new window)

 

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