cell adhesions 2

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts related to cell adhesion, cell junctions, and the extracellular matrix, based on lecture notes.

Extracellular Matrix (ECM)

A structural support network made up of diverse proteins, sugars, and other components.

Epithelial Sheets

Cells held together by junctions with each other and the basal lamina.

Occluding Junctions

Tight junctions

Communicating Junctions

Gap junctions

Anchoring Junctions

Adherens, desmosomes, focal adhesions, hemidesmosomes

Epithelia characteristics

Apical-basal polarity, cells tightly packed, mostly surrounded by cells, specialised cell-cell junctions, ECM binding to laminin, limited cell movement

Connective Tissue characteristics

No apparent polarity, cells loosely packed, surrounded by ECM, little cell-cell contact, ECM binding to fibronectin, extensive cell movement

Basement Membrane (BM) Location

Typically found at the interface of epithelial and connective tissue; located at the basal side of the epithelium; linked with EMT/MET.

Role of the Basement Membrane

Regulates molecule movement, maintains tissue organisation, separates epithelia and connective tissue, regulates cell movement.

Structural protein of the Basement Membrane

Type IV collagen

Proteoglycan of the Basement Membrane

Perlecan

Cell adhesion protein of the Basement Membrane

Laminin

Linker protein of the Basement Membrane

Nidogen

Hemidesmosomes

On the basal side of epithelial cells; integrin receptors binding to laminin; also involved: collagen XVII (BPAG2); connected intracellularly with keratin intermediate filament.