In: Anatomy and Physiology
Describe how all tissues are comprised of living cells and extracellular matrix
Cells are the smallest functional units of life. Tissues are groups of similar cells that have a common function.
Cells join together to form different types of tissues. These tissues form the building blocks for plant structures and animal organs. Cells bind to one another to form tissues using specialized proteins.
The extracellular matrix is the non-cellular component present within all tissues. The extracellular matrix largely determines how a tissue looks and functions. The extracellular matrix is made up of proteoglycans, water, minerals, and fibrous proteins. A proteoglycan is composed of a protein core surrounded by long chains of starch-like molecules called glycosaminoglycans.
All the tissues are composed of extracellular matrix because it not only provides essential physical scaffolding for the cellular constituents but also initiates crucial biochemical and biomechanical cues that are required for tissue morphogenesis, differentiation and homeostasis.