Biology › Section C · Cell structure and membranes › Topic C.5
Connections between cells
Cells are not sealed units. Animal cells hold hands through a matrix of collagen and four kinds of junctions; plant cells thread channels straight through their walls. Together these connections turn separate cells into tissues that can anchor, seal, and signal as one.
In this topic
- No cell is an island
- The extracellular matrix: more than glue
- Tight junctions: the seals
- Desmosomes: the rivets
- Gap junctions: the corridors
- Plasmodesmata: channels through walls
- Worked example: why the heart needs two kinds of junction
- Worked example: reading a matrix signal from clot to gene
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Key takeaways
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