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The animal extracellular matrix includes the interstitial matrix and the basement membrane. [7] Interstitial matrix is present between various animal cells (i.e., in the intercellular spaces). Gels of polysaccharides and fibrous proteins fill the interstitial space and act as a compression buffer against the stress placed on the ECM. [8]
In biology, matrix (pl.: matrices) is the material (or tissue) in between a eukaryotic organism's cells. The structure of connective tissues is an extracellular matrix. Fingernails and toenails grow from matrices. It is found in various connective tissues. It serves as a jelly-like structure instead of cytoplasm in connective tissue.
The basement membrane, also known as base membrane, is a thin, pliable sheet-like type of extracellular matrix that provides cell and tissue support and acts as a platform for complex signalling. [1] [2] The basement membrane sits between epithelial tissues including mesothelium and endothelium, and the underlying connective tissue. [3] [4]
The basal lamina is a layer of extracellular matrix secreted by the epithelial cells, on which the epithelium sits. It is often incorrectly referred to as the basement membrane, though it does constitute a portion of the basement membrane.
Hormones also act by travelling the extracellular space towards cell receptors. In cell biology, molecular biology and related fields, the word extracellular (or sometimes extracellular space) means "outside the cell". This space is usually taken to be outside the plasma membranes, and occupied by fluid (see extracellular matrix).
Schematic of cell adhesion. Cell adhesion is the process by which cells interact and attach to neighbouring cells through specialised molecules of the cell surface. This process can occur either through direct contact between cell surfaces such as cell junctions or indirect interaction, where cells attach to surrounding extracellular matrix, a gel-like structure containing molecules released ...
The articular cartilage extracellular matrix (ECM) has a highly specialized architecture that is zonally organized: the superficial zone consists mostly of collagen II fibers aligned parallel to the articular surface to resist shear forces, whereas the deep zone consists of the same fibers aligned perpendicularly to the bone interface to absorb ...
A matricellular protein is a dynamically expressed non-structural protein that is present in the extracellular matrix (ECM). [1] [2] Rather than serving as stable structural elements in the ECM, these proteins are rapidly turned over and have regulatory roles. They characteristically contain binding sites for ECM structural proteins and cell ...