I remember from high school biology that cells form tissues and then from these tissues organs are created, etc.
However what’s not clear for me is: What stops a cell tissue from totally collapsing back to a clump of cells? Why animals, plants and even some fungi don’t just… Melt?
In: 7
There are three things that all assist in anchoring cells to their surroundings. The first is the extracellular matrix (ECM), the network of material such as collagen that gives structure and support to most tissues. The second is cell adhesion molecules, or CAMs, which act as a glue to bind the cells to the ECM and to each other. The third is cell junctions, large specialized protein complexes which allow for communication and transport between cells while also providing adherence to each other and the ECM. Cell junctions come in a few different types, each with special purposes.
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