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Name: Faye S.
Status: Educator
Age: 50s
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: 2002
Question:
What holds collections of cells together?


Replies:
Many different things. The main ones... Cells organized into tissues are held together by: certain attachment molecules called CAMs, also cells are held in place somewhat by the connective tissue in which they are imbedded. There are also certain forms of cell junctions that either tightly attach cells or loosely. There are different cell junctions like the "desmosome"

Which is like a spot weld between two cells. There are gap junctions which allow for some communication between the junctions. I suggest looking in a cell biology book under cell junctions and cellular attachment molecules. Depending on the book they might have funky names like...zonula adherens or zonula occludens...etc.

Peter Faletra Ph.D.
Science Education
Office of Science
Department of Energy


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