Difference Between Connective Tissue Proper and Specialized Connective Tissue

The key difference between connective tissue proper and specialized connective tissue is that connective tissue proper consists of loose connective tissue and dense connective tissue while specialized connective tissue consists of reticular connective tissue, adipose tissue, cartilage, bone, and blood.

There are four basic types of tissues in the animal body. Connective tissue is one of these types and it is present between other tissues. It is a heterogeneous tissue in which different types of cells are embedded within an extracellular matrix composed of ground substances and fibers. Connective tissue helps in connecting tissues and organs. Moreover, it cushions organs and protects them from injuries. Furthermore, connective tissues provide support and help movements. Connective tissue proper and specialized connective tissues are two categories of connective tissue. Connective tissue proper consists of loose connective tissue and dense connective tissue. Specialized connective tissue consists of reticular connective tissue, adipose tissue, cartilage, bones and blood.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Connective Tissue Proper 
3. What is Specialized Connective Tissue
4. Similarities Between Connective Tissue Proper and Specialized Connective Tissue
5. Side by Side Comparison – Connective Tissue Proper vs Specialized Connective Tissue in Tabular Form
6. Summary

What is Connective Tissue Proper?

Connective tissue proper is a type of connective tissue which shows all three defining characteristics of connective tissue. It has dispersed cells, more extracellular material and extensive protein fibers in the extracellular matrix. Structurally, connective tissue proper consists of loose connective tissue (areolar connective tissue) and dense connective tissue.

Dense connective tissue is again can be divided into two types dense regular and dense irregular connective tissues. Loose and dense connective tissues differ from each other by the ratio of ground substance to fibrous tissue. Loose connective tissue is full of ground substance. It has less fibrous tissue. In contrast to that, dense connective tissue has more fibrous tissue and fewer ground substances. In both loose and dense connective tissues, fibroblasts and collagen fibers are found. Moreover, connective tissue proper is found all over the body.

What is Specialized Connective Tissue?

Specialized connective tissue is a type of connective tissue that consists of reticular connective tissue, adipose tissue, cartilage, bone, and blood. Specialized connective tissue has different types of specialized cells. Reticular connective tissue contains reticular cells.

Cartilage is an avascular connective tissue which joins bones together. Cartilage contains chondrocytes. Body skeleton is primarily made from bones and bones contain osteocytes. Blood is also a specialized connective tissue that contains various types of blood cells, including red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Adipose tissue is a fat-storing tissue. Therefore, it contains adipocytes filled with lipids.

What are the Similarities Between Connective Tissue Proper and Specialized Connective Tissue?

• Connective tissue proper and specialized connective tissues are two types of connective tissues.
• Both types of tissues have cells, ground substance, and fibers.
• They are found all over the body.
• Both types of connective tissues fulfil major functions in the body.

What is the Difference Between Connective Tissue Proper and Specialized Connective Tissue?

Connective tissue proper is a type of connective tissue composed of loose connective tissue and dense connective tissue. In contrast, the specialized connective tissue is a type of connective tissue composed of specialized cells such as reticular cells, chondrocytes, osteocytes, erythrocytes, white blood cells and adipocytes, etc. So, this is the key difference between connective tissue proper and specialized connective tissue. Loose connective tissue and dense connective tissue are the major subtypes of connective tissue proper while reticular connective tissue, adipose tissue, cartilage, bone, and blood are the subtypes of specialized connective tissue.

The below infographic tabulates the differences between connective tissue proper and specialized connective tissue for side by side comparison.

Summary – Connective Tissue Proper vs Specialized Connective Tissue

Connective tissue is the type of tissue that holds body tissues together. Connective tissue proper is a type of connective tissue that consists of loose connective tissue and dense connective tissue. In dense connective tissue, collagen fibers are heavily packed while in loose connective tissue, collagen fibers are loosely packed. Specialized connective tissue is the second type which has specialized cells. Therefore, it consists of reticular connective tissue, adipose tissue, blood, cartilage and bone, etc. Thus, this summarizes the difference between connective tissue proper and specialized connective tissue.

Reference:

1. Vasković, Jana. “Overview and Types of Connective Tissue.” Kenhub, Kenhub, 20 Oct. 2020, Available here.
2. “Connective Tissue.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Nov. 2020, Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Dense connective tissue-400x” By J Jana – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Connective Tissue Reticular (40885194425)” By Berkshire Community College Bioscience Image Library – Connective Tissue: Reticular (CC0) via Commons Wikimedia