extracellular

(adjective)

occurring or found outside of a cell

Related Terms

  • intracellular
  • extracellular digestion
  • intracellular digestion
  • casting
  • alimentary canal

Examples of extracellular in the following topics:

  • Extracellular Matrix of Animal Cells

    • Most animal cells release materials into the extracellular space.
    • Collectively, these materials are called the extracellular matrix .
    • Cells have protein receptors on the extracellular surfaces of their plasma membranes.
    • An example of the role of the extracellular matrix in cell communication can be seen in blood clotting.
    • The extracellular matrix consists of a network of proteins and carbohydrates.
  • Fluid Compartments

    • Extracellular fluid (ECF) or extracellular fluid volume (ECFV) usually denotes all body fluid outside of cells .
    • The extracellular fluid also includes the transcellular fluid; making up only about 2.5% of the ECF.
    • The pH of extracellular fluid is tightly regulated by buffers and maintained around 7.4.
    • It is the intravascular fluid part of extracellular fluid (all body fluid outside of cells).
    • It is the smallest component of extracellular fluid, which also includes interstitial fluid and plasma.
  • Extracellular Immune Avoidance

    • These adherent cells are frequently embedded within a self-produced matrix of extracellular polymeric substance (EPS).
    • Biofilm EPS, which is also referred to as slime, is a polymeric conglomeration generally composed of extracellular DNA, proteins, and polysaccharides.
  • Exocytosis

    • Exocytosis is the process by which cells release particles from within the cell into the extracellular space.
    • Exocytosis' main purpose is to expel material from the cell into the extracellular fluid; this is the opposite of what occurs in endocytosis.
    • This fusion opens the membranous envelope on the exterior of the cell and the waste material is expelled into the extracellular space .
    • Some examples of cells releasing molecules via exocytosis include the secretion of proteins of the extracellular matrix and secretion of neurotransmitters into the synaptic cleft by synaptic vesicles.
  • Invertebrate Digestive Systems

    • Invertebrates can be classified as those that use intracellular digestion and those with extracellular digestion.
    • The alimentary canal is a more advanced digestive system than a gastrovascular cavity and carries out extracellular digestion.
    • Because the food has been broken down exterior to the cells, this type of digestion is called extracellular digestion.
    • Most invertebrates use some form of extracellular digestion to break down their food.
    • Their food is broken down in their digestive tract (extracellular digestion), rather than inside their individual cells (intracellular digestion).
  • Body Fluid Composition

    • The concentrations of the other ions in cytosol or intracellular fluid are quite different from those in extracellular fluid.
    • In contrast to extracellular fluid, cytosol has a high concentration of potassium ions and a low concentration of sodium ions.
    • The extracellular fluid is mainly cations and anions.
    • Describe the composition of intracellular and extracellular fluid in the body
  • Adherens Junctions

    • These are transmembrane adhesion proteins, whose main portions are located in the extracellular space.
    • The extracellular part of one cell’s cadherin binds to the extracellular part of the adjacent cell’s cadherin in the space between the two cells. 
    • The extracellular portions of the cadherin molecules of adjacent cells are bonded together by calcium ions (or another protein in some cases). 
  • Water Content in the Body

    • A significant percentage of the human body is water, which includes intracellular and extracellular fluids.
    • Body water is broken down into the two compartments: Intracellular fluid (2/3 of body water) and Extracellular fluid (1/3 of body water).
    • Extracellular fluid includes: plasma (1/5), interstitial fluid (4/5) and transcellular fluid (inside organs, such as the gastrointestinal, cerebrospinal, peritoneal, and ocular fluids).
  • Tonicity

    • Tonicity describes how an extracellular solution can change the volume of a cell by affecting osmosis.
    • Three terms—hypotonic, isotonic, and hypertonic—are used to relate the osmolarity of a cell to the osmolarity of the extracellular fluid that contains the cells .
    • In a hypotonic situation, the extracellular fluid has lower osmolarity than the fluid inside the cell, and water enters the cell.
    • (In living systems, the point of reference is always the cytoplasm, so the prefix hypo- means that the extracellular fluid has a lower concentration of solutes, or a lower osmolarity, than the cell cytoplasm. ) It also means that the extracellular fluid has a higher concentration of water in the solution than does the cell.
    • In an isotonic solution, the extracellular fluid has the same osmolarity as the cell.
  • Hemidesmosomes

    • Hemidesmosomes are asymmetrical and connect the basal face of the expressing cell to the extracellular matrix or to other cells.
    • While desmosomes link two cells together, hemidesmosomes attach one cell to the extracellular matrix.
    • The integrin might then attach to one of many multi-adhesive proteins such as laminin, resident within the extracellular matrix, thereby forming one of many potential adhesions between cell and matrix.
    • Thin, extracellular, electron-dense lines, parallel to the plasma membrane, subjacent to the outer plaque are visible in one third of HDs and are termed sub-basal dense plates (SBDPs).
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