Cell Wall and Extracellular Membrane and Their Importance

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CELL WALL AND EXTRACELLULAR MATRIX The extracellular matrix is a network of non living tissues that support the structure of the cell, similar to the cell wall in plants. It is the extracellular matrix that form the framework that ultimately determines the architectural structure of plants and animals (textbook). Due to its dynamic nature, the ECM has multiple functions which include cell adhesion, communication between cell, and Plant and animal cells secrete macromolecules that form the extracellular matrices. In animals, cells are anchored in an extracellular matrix that is composed of tough fibrous proteins(collagen, laminin, and elastin) which are embedded in a gel like substance of polysaccharides called glycosaminoglycans. The ECM is a weblike structure that surrounds the spaces between the cells and bind cell tissues together. A molecule known as integrins, which is on surface of essentially all animal cells, is responsible for connecting cells to the extracellular membrane. The extracellular membrane is composed of an adhesion protein fibronectin which binds the matix ...

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