CELL WALL AND EXTRACELLULAR MATRIXThe extracellular matrix is ​​a network of non-living tissues that support the structure of the cell, similar to the cell wall of plants. It is the extracellular matrix that constitutes the framework that ultimately determines the architectural structure of plants and animals (textbook). Due to its dynamic nature, ECM has multiple functions, including cell adhesion, communication between cells, and plant and animal cells secrete macromolecules that form the extracellular matrices. In animals, cells are anchored in an extracellular matrix composed of tough fibrous proteins. (collagen, laminin and elastin) which are incorporated into a gelatinous substance composed of polysaccharides called glycosaminoglycans. The ECM is a web-like structure that surrounds the spaces between cells and binds cellular tissues together. A molecule called integrins, found on the surface of virtually all animal cells, is responsible for connecting cells to the extracellular membrane. The extracellular membrane is composed of an adhesion protein, fibronectin, which binds the matrix ...