ABSTRACT
Connective tissue i s a ter m applie d t o a conglomeratio n o f substance s tha t consti - tute th e extracellula r nonvascula r spac e i n variou s tissue s o f th e organism . I t serves t o bin d th e cell s together , t o provid e resilienc y to tissues , a n d sometime s
to serv e a s a vehicle fo r nutrient delivery to various types o f cells . Th e connectiv e
tissue consist s o f groun d substanc e i n w h i c h ar e embedde d bloo d vessel s an d
the fibrou s protein s collage n an d elastin . Ther e ar e a number o f othe r protein s a s
wel l , fo r exampl e fibronectin . Th e groun d substanc e i s mad e u p o f proteo -
glycans, w h i c h ar e hig h molecula r weigh t polysaccharide s combine d wi t h pro -
teins tha t accoun t fo r a s m u c h a s 30 % o f connectiv e tissu e weight . T h e nature o f
this materia l wi ll b e discusse d i n Chapte r 9 . I n this chapter , w e wi l l examin e th e
properties o f connectiv e tissu e protein s an d othe r proteins .
