Cell junctions and extracellular matrix

Why this matters

Oral tissues face friction, microbes and repeated mechanical loading. Cell junctions and extracellular matrix create a selective barrier, distribute force, attach gingiva to teeth and provide the changing scaffold used during repair.

You will be able to

1. 1.Compare five major junction types.
2. 2.Link each junction to its cytoskeleton or matrix.
3. 3.Explain collagen, elastin and proteoglycans.
4. 4.Describe basement-membrane organisation.
5. 5.Relate junctions and matrix to oral tissues.
6. 6.Predict simple wound-healing consequences.

The 12 cards in this lesson

1. 01Junctions and extracellular matrix form one tissue system
2. 02Five junctions can be sorted by what they connect
3. 03Read a polarized epithelium from apex to matrix
4. 04Tight junctions are selective gates and membrane fences
5. 05Adherens junctions couple cadherins to actin
6. 06Desmosomes and hemidesmosomes solve different anchoring problems
7. 07Gap junctions create direct channels between neighbouring cells
8. 08Collagen provides a tensile framework
9. 09Elastin and proteoglycans tune recoil and hydration
10. 10Basement membrane is a specialised sheet of extracellular matrix
11. 11Wound healing reorganises junctions and matrix in sequence
12. 12Junctions and matrix across oral tissues

You have got it when

You are ready to continue when you can name a junction from its partners, distinguish cell-cell from cell-matrix adhesion and explain what each major matrix component contributes to a tissue.