Cytoskeleton, Cell Surface (Cell

Wall, Extracellular Matrix) and

Cell Junctions
By: Lovely Nhel Eslomot
Princess Nicole Dapat
Emalyn Ofalla
Cytoskeleton- The cytoskeleton is
a structure that helps their shape
and internal organization and also
provides mechanical support that
enables cells to carry out essential
functions like division and
movement.
a system of filaments or
fibers that is present in the
cytoplasm of eukaryotic
cells.
 Main Functions of the Cytoskeleton

● Maintain cell shape

● Cell movement ( within cell and whole
cell)
● Hold organelles in place
● Strengthens cells
 Cytoskeleton has three
components:
●Microtubules
●Microfilaments
●Intermediate Filaments
 Microtubules
are hollow rods functioning primarily to help
support and shape the cell and as "routes" along
which organelles can move. Microtubules are
typically found in all eukaryotic cells. They vary
in length and measure about 25 nm (nanometers)
in diameter.
 Microfilaments

Microfilaments or actin filaments are thin, solid rods

that are active in muscle contraction. Microfilaments
are particularly prevalent in muscle cells. Similar to
microtubules, they are typically found in all
eukaryotic cells. Microfilaments are composed
primarily of the contractile protein actin and measure
up to 7 nm in diameter. They also participate in
organelle movement.
 Intermediate Filaments

Intermediate filaments can be abundant in

many cells and provide support for
microfilaments and microtubules by holding
them in place. These filaments form keratins
found in epithelial cells and neurofilaments in 
neurons. They measure 8-12 nm in diameter.
CELL SURFACE
What is Cell
Surface?
 The cell surface is the locus for many
important biochemical functions of cells and
for the interactions of cells with one another
and with their environment.
 The structure of the cell surface may be thought of
as three-layered, with a central plasma membrane to
which certain macromolecular components are
attached on the outer face (the exoskeleton) and
other components on the inner face (the membrane
cytoskeleton). 
STRUCTURE OF CELL SURFACE
THE FUNCTIONS OF
THE DIFFERENT
BIOMOLECULES IN
CELL SURFACE
 GLYCOPROTEIN

04 to Dr. Osman Shabir, PhD, Glycoproteins

According
are molecules that comprise protein and carbohydrate
chains that are involved in many physiological
functions including immunity. Many viruses have
glycoproteins that help them enter bodily cells, but can
also serve to be important therapeutic or preventative
targets.
 GLYCOPLIPID

Glycolipid is a carbohydrate that is covalently

linked to a lipid. Glycolipids are biomolecular
structures in the phospholipid bilayer of the 
cell membrane whose carbohydrate
component extends to the outside of the cell.
 PERIPHERAL MEMBRANE PROTEIN

Peripheral protein, are a group of biologically

active molecules formed from amino acids
 which interact with the surface of the 
lipid bilayer of cell membranes. One of the
main roles of peripheral proteins is to direct
and maintain both the intracellular 
cytoskeleton and components of the 
extracellular matrix.
 INTEGRAL MEMBRANE PROTEIN

An Integral Protein, is any protein which has a

special functional region for the purpose of
securing its position within the cellular
membrane. The basic function of at least one
part of every integral protein is to attach the
protein to a plasma membrane. 
 CYTOSKELETAL FILAMENTS

The cytoskeleton is a dynamic network of

protein filaments that defines the structure and
motility of the cell. Cytoskeleton plays a role
in diverse cellular functions including
maintenance of cell shape, cell movement, cell
division and intracellular organization and
trafficking.
 CHOLESTEROL

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance

that's found in all the cells in your body.
Your body needs some cholesterol to
make hormones, vitamin D, and
substances that help you digest foods.
 PROTEIN CHANNEL

A channel protein is a protein that

allows the transport of specific
substances across a cell
membrane.
 PHOSPHILIPID BILAYER

A phospholipid is a lipid that contains a

phosphate group and is a major component of
cell membranes. The two layers of 
phospholipids arranged in such a way that
their hydrophobic tails are projecting inwards
while their polar head groups are projecting on
the outside surfaces.
0
CELL WALL
What is Cell
Wall?
 The cell wall as a semi-rigid thick protective
structure that surrounds the cell membrane of
some types of cells for protection and defining
the shape of the cell. 

The main function of cell wall is to give the cell

rigidity, strength, and protection against
mechanical stress.
STRUCTURE
OF CELL
WALL
 Functions of Cell Wall
The main function of a cell wall is to provide protection to the internal
structures of the cell since the plasma membrane is considered to be a
fragile layer that cannot provide similar protection against different
environmental conditions.

Additionally, cell walls are responsible for providing the distinctive

shapes of cells. When the internal pressure inside the cell increases due to
the entrance of water, the cell wall prevents the expansion and rupture of
the cell. 
 STRUCTURE
AND
COMPOSITION
OF THE CELL
WALL
The structure of cell walls is not similar in all species;
it depends on the developmental stage and cell type.
The plant’s primary cell wall consists of pectin,
cellulose, and hemicellulose along with other
anchored or embedded polymers such as
suberin, lignin, or cutin.
 Plant cell, the basic unit of all plants. Plant cells, like animal
cells, are eukaryotic, meaning they have a membrane-bound 
nucleus and organelles.

PlantPLANT
cell wallsCELL
are composed of cellulose, which sets them apart
from other organisms with cell walls, such as bacteria
WALL
 (peptidoglycan) and fungi (chitin).
Plant cells can be distinguished from most other cells by the presence of 
chloroplasts, which are also found in certain algae. A chloroplast is a
type of plastid (a saclike organelle with a double membrane) that
serves as the site of photosynthesis, the process by which energy
from the Sun is converted into chemical energy for growth.
Chloroplasts contain the pigment chlorophyll to absorb light energy.
In plants, these essential organelles occur in all green tissues, though
they are concentrated particularly in the parenchyma cells of leaves.
CHLOROPLAST
Algae cell walls are composed of
polysaccharides and glycoproteins such as agar
and carrageenan; these molecules are not
present in terrestrial plants.
 ALGAE CELL WALLS

Algae are the plants with the simplest organization. Many of them
are single-celled, some have no cell wall, others do though its
composition and structure differ strongly from that of higher plants.
They are good specimen for tracing back the evolution of the cell
wall. Primitive cell walls do not fulfil the same requirements as that
of higher plants. Algae possess cell walls made of glycoproteins
and polysaccharides such as carrageenan and agar that are
absent from land plants. In bacteria, the cell wall is composed of
peptidoglycan. Unusually, diatoms have a cell wall composed of
biogenic silica.
 BACTERIAL CELL WALLS
The bacterial cell wall performs several functions as well,
in addition to providing overall strength to the cell. It also
helps maintain the cell shape, which is important for how
the cell will grow, reproduce, obtain nutrients, and move. It
protects the cell from osmotic lysis, as the cell moves from
one environment to another or transports in nutrients from
its surroundings. 
 Bacterial cell walls are composed of peptidoglycans whereas
archaeal cell walls are composed of pseudopeptidoglycan, S
layer, or polysaccharides. Cell walls of fungi are made of chitin
polymer, N-acetylglucosamine.
 Gram Positive Cell walls
The cell walls of gram positive bacteria are composed
predominantly of peptidoglycan. In fact, peptidoglycan
can represent up to 90% of the cell wall, with layer
after layer forming around the cell membrane. The
NAM tetrapeptides are typically cross-linked with a
peptide interbridge and complete cross-linking is
common. All of this combines together to create an
incredibly strong cell wall.
 The additional component in a gram positive cell wall is teichoic acid, a
glycopolymer, which is embedded within the peptidoglycan layers. Teichoic
acid is believed to play several important roles for the cell, such as generation
of the net negative charge of the cell, which is essential for development of a
proton motive force. Teichoic acid contributes to the overall rigidity of the cell
wall, which is important for the maintenance of the cell shape, particularly in
rod-shaped organisms. There is also evidence that teichoic acids participate in
cell division, by interacting with the peptidoglycan biosynthesis machinery.
Lastly, teichoic acids appear to play a role in resistance to adverse conditions
such as high temperatures and high salt concentrations, as well as to β-lactam
antibiotics. Teichoic acids can either be covalently linked to peptidoglycan
(wall teichoic acids or WTA) or connected to the cell membrane via a lipid
anchor, in which case it is referred to as lipoteichoic acid.
 Gram Negative Cell Walls
The cell walls of gram negative bacteria are more complex than that of gram
positive bacteria, with more ingredients overall. They do contain peptidoglycan
as well, although only a couple of layers, representing 5-10% of the total cell
wall. The  most notable about the gram negative cell wall is the presence of a
plasma membrane located outside of the peptidoglycan layers, known as
the outer membrane. This makes up the bulk of the gram negative cell wall.
The outer membrane is composed of a lipid bilayer, very similar in composition
to the cell membrane with polar heads, fatty acid tails, and integral proteins. It
differs from the cell membrane by the presence of large molecules known
as lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which are anchored into the outer membrane and
project from the cell into the environment.
 LPS is made up of three different components: 1) the O-antigen or O-
polysaccharide, which represents the outermost part of the structure , 2)
the core polysaccharide, and 3) lipid A, which anchors the LPS into the outer
membrane. LPS is known to serve many different functions for the cell, such
as contributing to the net negative charge for the cell, helping to stabilize the
outer membrane, and providing protection from certain chemical substances
by physically blocking access to other parts of the cell wall. In addition, LPS
plays a role in the host response to pathogenic gram negative bacteria. The O-
antigen triggers an immune response in an infected host, causing the
generation of antibodies specific to that part of LPS (think of E. coli O157).
Lipid A acts as a toxin, specifically an endotoxin, causing general symptoms
of illness such as fever and diarrhea. A large amount of lipid A released into
the bloodstream can trigger endotoxic shock, a body-wide inflammatory
response which can be life-threatening.
 Studies Follow-ups
Study 1 Study 2 Study 3

Mercury Mars Neptune

It’s the closest planet Despite being red, It’s the farthest planet
to the Sun Mars is a cold place from the Sun

Venus Jupiter Saturn

It’s the second planet Jupiter is the biggest It’s composed of
from the Sun planet hydrogen & helium
Gram negative cells utilize porins, which are transmembrane
proteins composed of a trimer of three subunits, which
form a pore across the membrane. Some porins are non-
specific and transport any molecule that fits, while some
porins are specific and only transport substances that they
recognize by use of a binding site. Once across the outer
membrane and in the periplasm, molecules work their
way through the porous peptidoglycan layers before
being transported by integral proteins across the cell
membrane.
 Extracellular Matrix
A large network of proteins
and other molecules that
surround, support, and give
structure to cells and tissues in
the body.
 Functions of Extracellular Matrix

● Provides structural support to cells and tissue

● Important role in regulating cell behaviour
Cell to cell interaction, communication
 Structural Proteins of
Extracellular Matrix
The extracellular matrix of animal
tissues is a molecular network mainly
composed of proteins, proteoglycans,
glycosaminoglycans, and glycoproteins.
 Collagen
● Collagen- major structural fibrous protein
● Form triple helices
● Triple helix domains: repeats of the amino
acids sequence x-y-Gly
● Glycine in every 3rd position
● x and y are often proline and hydroproline
 Matrix Polysaccharides
● Extracellular matrix gels are polysaccharides called
glycosaminoglycans (GAGs).
● GAGs are repeating units of disaccharides: One sugar is either
N-acetylglucosamine or N-acetygalactosamine, the second is usually
acidic(glucuronic acid or iduronic acid).
● Sulfate groups make GAGs negatively charged
● GAGs are linked to proteins to form proteoglycans
 Matrix adhesion proteins: Fibronectin

● Link matric components

- to each other
- to cell surfaces
Fibronectin: main adhesion protein of connective tissues
● Recognized by cell surface receptors
● Attachment of cells to the extracellular matrix
● Laminin: adhesion protein of basal lamina
● Have binding sites for
- Cell surface receptors
- Type IV collagen
- Proteoglycans
● Assemble to cross-linked network
● Linking cells and matrix
●Cell_junction[1].pptx