Cells
Cell Junctions
Cell Junctions Although certain cell types – blood cells, and some immune system cells – move freely in the body, many others are packed into tight communities. Typically, three factors act to bind cells together. Glycoproteins in the glycocalyx act as an adhesive. Contours in adjacent cells membranes fit together in a tight knit fashion. […]
The Plasma Membrane: Structure
Plasma Membrane The flexible plasma membrane defines the barrier of a cell by separating two of the body’s major fluid compartments – the intracellular fluid within cells and the extracellular fluid (ECF) outside cells. The term cell membrane is commonly used as a synonym for plasma membrane, but in this article we will refer to […]
Cell Theory: The Cellular Basis of Life
Cell Theory In the late 1600’s, an English scientist named Robert Hook was the first to observe plant cells with a crude microscope. Then, almost a century and a half later, in the 1830’s two German scientists proposed that all living things are composed of cells (Their names were Mathias Schleiden and Theodor Schwann). A […]