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Medical Histology and Virtual Microscopy Learning Resources

The University of Michigan Medical School

Cells & Tissue Sequence Review

Remember that you should be familiar with some of the common stains we use to identify specific tissues and/or cells:

  1. Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E): routine stain used for most tissue section
    1. Hematoxylin: stains negatively charged (acidic) substances such as nucleic acids (DNA in the nucleus, RNA in ribosomes of RER) and sulfated proteoglycans (sulfate groups are negatively charged) purple/black or deep blue.
    2. Eosin: stains positively charged (basic) substances such as cell membranes (smooth ER, Golgi, mitochondria) and most proteins red or pink.
  2. Masson's Trichrome: also routinely used on tissue sectionS
    1. collagen and nerves: blue or green
    2. muscle (smooth, skeletal, and cardiac): rusty red
    3. nuclei: usually red/black.
  3. Elastic stains: there are a few types such as aldehyde fuchsin, Weigert's, Verhoeff's, and van Gieson's but they all stain elastin deep purple/black.
  4. Silver nitrate (or sometimes just called "silver stain"): stains type III collagen (reticular fibers) black. Type III collagen is heavily glycosylated and the silver nitrate reacts with these sugar groups and is reduced to metallic (black) silver.
  5. Periodic Acid-Schiff (PAS): stains glycoproteins, mucus, and some proteoglycans purple or deep pink (depending on how long the reaction is allowed to occur). Used to demonstrate basement membranes, microvilli (reacts with the glycocalyx associated with microvilli), and mucus-secreting cells.
  6. Toluidine blue / azure dyes: Toluidine blue and azure dyes will stain nucleic acids blue (a very nice way to see nuclei, nucleoli, and Nissl substance in neurons). However, these dyes will also undergo a metachromatic reaction with mast cell granules changing in color from blue to deep red-purple or almost black, so these stains are routinely used to identify mast cells in tissue sections.

You've been introduced to a few diseases that affect specific tissues, so you should be familiar with them:

    Disease defect in: tissues affected / symptoms
    Kartagener's syndrome dynein / microtubules immotile cilia, so chronic respiratory infections because respiratory epithelium cannot clear out debris
    bullous pemphigoid autoimmune destruction of hemidesmosomes basal cells of epidermis separate from basal lamina, so severe blistering
    epidermolysis bullosa type VII collagen (anchoring fibrils) epidermis and basal lamina separates from underlying connective tissue, so severe blistering
    scurvy proline hydroxylation required for synthesis of ANY fibrillar collagen (type I, II or III) any tissue with type I, II, or III collagen; tissues affected are where most turnover occurs: e.g. ulceration of gums and dermis
    osteogenesis imperfecta type I collagen bones and tendons are significantly weakened and/or deformed
    type IV (vascular type) Ehlers-Danlos syndrome type III collagen (reticular fibers) reticular fibers form significant part of arterial walls, so increased risk of aortic aneurism and rupture.
    Marfan syndrome fibrillin (and therefore elastic fiber synthesis) tissues rich in elastic fibers are weakened; e.g. ligaments, tendons, and arterial walls (so increased risk of aortic aneurism and rupture)
    Muscular dystrophy dystrophin skeletal muscle degeneration

Practice Questions

Note: the final exam will be weighted more heavily with questions from THIS WEEK'S material (muscle and nerve)

  1. The nuclei indicated by the arrows in Panel A and labeled "N" in the electron micrograph in Panel B (which is a high magnification view of the boxed area in panel A) belong to:
    1. Schwann cells
    2. smooth muscle cells
    3. fibroblasts of perineurium
    4. dorsal root (sensory) ganglion neurons
    5. autonomic ganglion neurons
    6. AnswerA -Schwann cells
  2. The type of epithelium indicated by the arrow lines: WebScope or the ImageScope
    1. skin
    2. mucosa of the esophagus
    3. respiratory tract
    4. urinary tract
    5. mesentery
    6. Answer
  3. The cell indicated by the arrow is a/an WebScope or ImageScope :
    1. dorsal root ganglion neuron
    2. autonomic ganglion neuron
    3. satellite cell
    4. Schwann cell
    5. macrophage
    6. plasma cell
    7. intrafusal muscle fiber (cell)
    8. Answer
  4. 4. Actin filaments are NOT associated with:
    1. microvilli
    2. hemidesmosomes
    3. zonula adherens
    4. Z-lines in skeletal muscle
    5. dense bodies in smooth muscle
    6. intercalated disks in cardiac muscle
    7. Answer
  5. In this tissue section stained with iron hematoxylin and eosin, the the two primary protein components of the structure indicated by the arrow are Click here to see the image :
    1. type III collagen and proteoglycans
    2. type I collagen and proteoglycans
    3. type IV collagen and laminin
    4. elastin and fibrillin
    5. actin and myosin
    6. Answer
  6. The predominant tissue in this tissue section is: WebScope or ImageScope
    1. cardiac muscle
    2. skeletal muscle
    3. smooth muscle
    4. dense irregular connective tissue
    5. dense regular connective tissue
    6. myelinated nerve
    7. non-myelinated nerve
    8. Answer
  7. click here for the image 7. The tissue indicated is:
    1. simple cuboidal epithelium
    2. dense regular connective tissue
    3. cardiac muscle
    4. smooth muscle
    5. myelinated nerve
    6. Answer
  8. click here for the low mag image click here for the high mag image 8. The neurons in the ganglia shown:
    1. receive sensory input from muscle spindles
    2. modulate the contraction of smooth muscle
    3. innervate skeletal muscle
    4. are bipolar
    5. are pseudounipolar
    6. Answer
  9. Which of the lines in the electron micrograph indicates a single sarcomere? Click here to view image
    1. A
    2. B
    3. C
    4. D
    5. E
    6. Answer
  10. The structure enclosed by the brackets indicated by the arrow is a: click here for the image
    1. Microtubule
    2. Microvillus
    3. Collagen fibril
    4. Collagen fiber
    5. Nerve fiber
    6. Nerve fascicle
    7. Myofiber (muscle fiber)
    8. Myofibril
    9. Answer
  11. Which of the following statements regarding cilia is TRUE?
    1. They contain a core of keratin intermediate filaments.
    2. They are anchored to the cell by a terminal web of intermediate and actin filaments.
    3. In tissues such as respiratory epithelium, they are immotile (they do not move on their own).
    4. They function primarily to facilitate absorption.
    5. They are generally considered to be localized on the apical surface of epithelial cells.
    6. Answer
  12. The tissue indicated in this slide is: WebScope or ImageScope
    1. dense irregulare connective tissue
    2. dense regular connective tissue
    3. skeletal muscle
    4. smooth muscle
    5. myelinated nerve
    6. non-myelinated nerve
    7. Answer
  13. What type of cell junction plays an important role in the FUNCTION of the connective tissue layer indicated by the arrows? Click here to view image.
    1. gap junction
    2. desmosome
    3. hemidesmosome
    4. zonlula adherens
    5. tight junction
    6. Answer
  14. Identify the tissue. WebScope or ImageScope
    1. skeletal muscle
    2. cardiac muscle
    3. smooth muscle
    4. dense irregular connective tissue
    5. dense regular connective tissue
    6. myelinated nerve
    7. non-myelinated nerve
    8. Answer
  15. The cell shown in the electron micrograph:click here for cross section image click here for the longitudinal section imag e
    1. is a stretch receptor.
    2. is innervated by alpha motor neurons.
    3. has almost no regenerative capacity.
    4. is metabolically inactive.
    5. contracts slowly and involuntarily.
    6. Answer
  16. Identify the cell indicated by the pointer. WebScope or ImageScope
    1. Schwann cell
    2. satellite cell
    3. dorsal root ganglion (sensory) neuron
    4. autonomic ganglion neuron
    5. motor neuron
    6. macrophage
    7. muscle spindle cell
    8. Answer
  17. The type of intercellular junction as viewed by routine transmission electron microscopy in panel A and in a freeze-fracture preparation in panel B: Click here to view image
    1. extends as a zone around the apical perimeter of adjacent cells.
    2. posseses dense plaques that are anchored to intermediate filaments.
    3. permits the passage of ions from one cell to another.
    4. requires calcium to bind adjacent cells.
    5. mediates adhesion of cells to an underlying basal lamina.
    6. Answer
  18. One of the major functions of the cells indicated is: WebScope or ImageScope
    1. collagen production.
    2. triglyceride (fat) storage.
    3. antibody production.
    4. release of histamine during allergic reactions.
    5. phagocytosis of cell debris and/or foreign material.
    6. relaying sensory input into the central nervous system.
    7. sending motor output to smooth muscle cells.
    8. Answer
  19. The tissue shown is: Click here to view image
    1. stratified squamous keratinized epithelium
    2. stratified squamous non-keratinized epithelium
    3. dense regular connective tissue
    4. dense irregular connective tissue
    5. peripheral nerve
    6. smooth muscle
    7. Answer

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