Reticular connective tissue is a type of connective tissue.^[1] It has a network of reticular fibers, made of type III collagen.^[2] Reticular fibers are not unique to reticular connective tissue, but only in this type are they dominant.^[3]

Reticular fibers are synthesized by special fibroblasts called reticular cells. The fibers are thin branching structures.

Contents 1 Function 2 Staining 3 Appearance 4 Classification 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Function

The fibers form a soft skeleton (stroma) to support the lymphoid organs (lymph nodes, red bone marrow, and spleen). (The thymus is the only lymphoid organ that does not contain reticular connective tissue.)

Adipose tissue is held together by reticular fibers.

[edit] Staining

They can be identified in histology by staining with a heavy metal like silver or the PAS stain that stains carbohydrates.

[edit] Appearance

Reticular connective tissue resembles areolar connective tissue, but the only fibers in its matrix are reticular fibers, which form a delicate network along which fibroblasts called reticular cells lie scattered. Although reticular fibers are widely distributed in the body, reticular tissue is limited to certain sites. It forms a labyrinth-like stroma (literally, "bed or "mattress"), or internal framework, that can support many free blood cells (large lymphocytes) in lymph nodes, the spleen, and red bone marrow.

[edit] Classification

There are more than 20 types of reticular fibres. In Reticular Connective Tissue type III collagen/reticular fiber (100-150nm in diameter) is the major fiber component. It forms the architectural framework of; liver, adipose tissue, bone marrow, spleen, basement membrane to name a few

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Organology at UC Davis TermsCells&Tissues/connective/reticular/reticular1 - "Connective tissue, reticular (LM, Medium)"
• Histology at uwa.edu.au

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v • d • e Histology: connective tissue Classification Proper/ Fibrous Loose Areolar · Reticular non-fibrous: Adipose (Brown, White) Dense Dense irregular connective tissue (Submucosa, Dermis) · Dense regular connective tissue (Ligament, Tendon, Aponeurosis) Embryonic Mucous · Mesenchymal Specialized Cartilage · Bone · Blood Composition Extracellular matrix (noncellular) Ground substance Tissue fluid Fibers Reticular fibers: Collagen Elastic fibers: Fibrillin (FBN1, FBN2, FBN3) Cells Resident Fibroblast · Reticular cell · Tendon cell Adipocyte Chondroblast · Osteoblast Wandering cell Mast cell · Macrophage see also soft tissue integument, SF, LCT navs: anat/physio, noncongen/congen/neoplasia, symptoms+signs/eponymous, proc muscle, DF+DRCT navs: anat/hist/physio, acquired myopathy/congenital myopathy/neoplasia, symptoms+signs/eponymous, proc