Cell Adhesion (DP IB Biology: HL): Revision Note

Cell Adhesion

• In order for an organism to be multicellular, its cells need to adhere, or stick, to one another to form tissues

• The plasma membrane is responsible for cell adhesion and this can be permanent or temporary

• Cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) are required to carry out cell adhesion

  • CAMs are a type of cell surface protein

  • They work by binding cells with other cells or with the extracellular matrix

    • The extracellular matrix contains supporting structures, such as collagen proteins, and provides support for the cells

  • Different CAMs are present in different types of cell-cell junction

• Examples of different cell-cell junctions include:

  • Tight junctions

  • Adherens junctions

  • Desmosomes

  • Gap junctions

Cell adhesion diagram

Cell adhesion involves the binding of CAMs to other cells or to the extra-cellular matrix

Different types of cell-cell junction contain different CAMs