Tissue Lab: Relate and Review

Today, we looked at the real life applications of the tissues we learned in class. The classroom was filled with 14 total microscopes. Each slide held a different kind of tissue. I observed the four types of tissues: epithelial, connective, muscle, and nervous. Epithelial tissue covers a surface or lines a body cavity and provides lining and covering. The first name of the tissue indicates the number of cell layers (simple, stratified, pseudostratefied) and the last name of the tissue describes the shape of the cells (squamous, cuboidal, columnar). Connective tissue fills the spaces between organs/tissues and provides structural and metabolic support for other tissues and organs. It is composed of 2 main parts: the extracellular matrix and the cells (fibroblasts, macrophages, adipocytes, mast cells). The extracellular matrix is composed of a network of protein fibers and polysaccharides that are secreted and organized by cells. We also looked at a blood smear, which is a kind of connective tissue. Blood contains plasma, red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. All of these types help with metabolic support. We also looked at cartilage, another specialized connective tissue, and discovered varying amounts of collagen and elastic fibers. Muscle tissue is composed of actin and myosin, and has three different types including skeletal, cardiac, and smooth. The skeletal type was observed to have long cylindrical cells with multiple peripheral nuclei. The cardiac type had long branching cells and was connected to each other by intercalated discs. The smooth type would include spindle shaped cells with a central nuclei.

Human Blood Smear, 400x

Source:

"Histology." Blood Smear, Human. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Sept. 2015.