Canadian Medical Guide > Anatomy > Cells > Cellular Structures > Cell Membrane > Cell Membrane Structures Terms and Definitions




Cell Membrane Structures

Medical Definition: Structures which are part of the CELL MEMBRANE or have cell membrane as a major part of their structure.
Guide Notes: GEN: avoid; prefer specifics
Cell Membrane Structures Categories.
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Cell-Matrix Junctions - Specialized areas at the CELL MEMBRANE where a cell attaches to the EXTRACELLULAR MATRIX or other substratum.
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Coated Pits, Cell-Membrane - Specialized regions of the cell membrane composed of pits coated with a bristle covering made of the protein CLATHRIN. These pits are the entry route for macromolecules bound by cell surface receptors. The pits are then internalized into the cytoplasm to form the COATED VESICLES.
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Glycocalyx - The carbohydrate-rich zone on the cell surface. This zone can be visualized by a variety of stains as well as by its affinity for lectins. Although most of the carbohydrate is attached to intrinsic plasma membrane molecules, the glycocalyx usually also contains both glycoproteins and proteoglycans that have been secreted into the extracellular space and then adsorbed onto the cell surface. (Alberts et al., Molecular Biology of the Cell, 3d ed, p502)
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Intercellular Junctions - Direct contact of a cell with a neighboring cell. Most such junctions are too small to be resolved by light microscopy, but they can be visualized by conventional or freeze-fracture electron microscopy, both of which show that the interacting CELL MEMBRANE and often the underlying CYTOPLASM and the intervening EXTRACELLULAR SPACE are highly specialized in these regions. (From Alberts et al., Molecular Biology of the Cell, 2d ed, p792)
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Membrane Microdomains - Detergent-insoluble CELL MEMBRANE components. They are enriched in SPHINGOLIPIDS and CHOLESTEROL and clustered with glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored proteins.
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Nuclear Envelope - The membrane system of the CELL NUCLEUS that surrounds the nucleoplasm. It consists of two concentric membranes separated by the perinuclear space. The structures of the envelope where it opens to the cytoplasm are called the nuclear pores (NUCLEAR PORE).
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Phycobilisomes - Light harvesting structures found within the THYLAKOID MEMBRANES of BACTERIA and FUNGI.

Cell Membrane Structures Medical Definitions and Terms

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