Tight junctions, desmosomes and gap junctions that seal, anchor or connect neighbouring animal cells.
Tight junctions seal neighbouring cells and prevent leakage, as in the lining of the gut and brain capillaries. Desmosomes are spot-like anchors linked to intermediate filaments, giving tissues like skin and heart strength. Gap junctions are channels made of connexins that let ions and small molecules pass directly.
In plants, plasmodesmata play the role of gap junctions.
Tight junctions, desmosomes and gap junctions that seal, anchor or connect neighbouring animal cells.
Cell Junctions is one of the 52 topics in Cell Biology. It is rated Intermediate, so it suits learners who already know the core vocabulary. Related topics in this area include Cytoskeleton, Cell Wall, Cytokinesis.
Gap junctions in cardiac muscle let electrical signals spread so the heart contracts in unison.
Work through the Beginner topics in Cell Biology first, such as Cell Theory, Prokaryotic Cell, Eukaryotic Cell, then return to Cell Junctions. Intermediate topics assume the Beginner vocabulary.
The closest topics to Cell Junctions are Cytoskeleton, Cell Wall, Cytokinesis, Second Messengers. Comparing them side by side is a good way to see how the ideas connect.
Read the summary and the in-depth section, then use the quick check on the interactive lesson for Cell Junctions. To practise the whole of Cell Biology, use the Cell Biology quiz.
Cell Junctions: Tight junctions, desmosomes and gap junctions that seal, anchor or connect neighbouring animal cells. Cytoskeleton: A network of protein filaments that maintains cell shape, anchors organelles and enables movement. Read both side by side and note what each one explains.
First, read the summary and write the definition in your own words. Second, read the in-depth section and note any example. Third, compare it with Cytoskeleton and explain the difference aloud. Finally, take the Cell Biology quiz and come back to this page for any question you miss.
A network of protein filaments that maintains cell shape, anchors organelles and enables movement.
🔬 Cell BiologyA rigid outer layer outside the plasma membrane in plants, fungi and bacteria that gives shape and protection.
🔬 Cell BiologyDivision of the cytoplasm after nuclear division, by a cleavage furrow in animals or a cell plate in plants.
🔬 Cell BiologySmall intracellular molecules such as cAMP, IP3 and Ca2+ that amplify and spread signals from receptors.
🔬 Cell Biology