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




Cell-Matrix Junctions

Medical Definition: Specialized areas at the CELL MEMBRANE where a cell attaches to the EXTRACELLULAR MATRIX or other substratum.
Previously Indexed: Cell Adhesion (1991-2000),Extracellular Matrix (1991-2000)
Cell-Matrix Junctions Categories.
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Focal Adhesions - An anchoring junction of the cell to a non-cellular substrate. It is composed of a specialized area of the plasma membrane where bundles of MICROFILAMENTS terminate and attach to the transmembrane linkers, INTEGRINS, which in turn attach through their extracellular domains to EXTRACELLULAR MATRIX PROTEINS.
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Hemidesmosomes - An anchoring junction of the cell to a non-cellular substrate, similar in morphology to halves of DESMOSOMES. They are composed of specialized areas of the plasma membrane where INTERMEDIATE FILAMENTS bind on the cytoplasmic face to the transmembrane linkers, INTEGRINS, via intracellular attachment proteins, while the extracellular domain of the integrins binds to EXTRACELLULAR MATRIX PROTEINS.

Cell-Matrix Junctions Medical Definitions and Terms

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