BIOL 203 Ch. 11: Cell - Cell Interactions

What is multicellularity?

Direct physical connections between cells via the ECM

What is a tight junction?

Cell - cell attachment composed of specialized proteins in the plasma membranes of adjacent animal cells

What is selective adhesion?

Cells aggregate based on their origin, adhering to other cells of the same tissue

What are cadherins?

Linking proteins in desmosomes

What is the symplast?

A continuous network of cytoplasm connected by plasmodesmata

What is the apoplast?

The region outside the plasma membrane (in plant cells)

What do neurotransmitters do?

They may open or close ion channels in the plasma membrane of distant cells, changing the electrical properties of the membrane

What are hormones?

Information carrying molecules that act on distant target cells

What are the two major types of signal transduction systems?

G-protein-coupled receptors and enzyme-linked receptors