RT Book, Section A1 Ash, Rick A1 Morton, David A. A1 Scott, Sheryl A. SR Print(0) ID 1141044747 T1 CONNECTIVE TISSUE PROPER T2 The Big Picture: Histology YR 2017 FD 2017 PB McGraw-Hill Medical PP New York, NY SN 9780071477581 LK accessbiomedicalscience.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1141044747 RD 2024/03/28 AB Connective tissues are aptly named—they connect epithelia to underlying body structures, link muscles to bones, and hold joints together. However, connective tissues provide the body with more than structural connections and form—they play vital roles in defense, repair, storage, and nutrition. The extent and composition of extracellular matrix (ECM) is a key feature of connective tissues. Unlike epithelia, muscle, and nerve tissue, which consist mostly of cells, connective tissues contain significant amounts of extracellular material, which may be synthesized by only a small number of resident cells. This chapter focuses on what are termed connective tissues proper; that is, loose and dense connective tissues and adipose tissue. A few other rare types of connective tissue are mentioned briefly in this chapter; however, several specialized connective tissues (i.e., cartilage, bone, blood, and hematopoietic tissues) require detailed discussion and will be considered in Chapters 3, 4, and 8.