The Cell Surface and the Extracellular Matrix

Hi. Welcome to Module 3. In this module you will learn the nature and
properties of the cell surface and the extracellular matrix. You will gain understanding
on how molecules traverse into and out of the cells. At the end of this module, you
should be able to:
• discuss the nature and composition of the plasma membrane;
• discuss the functions of the cell membrane; and,
• discuss the nature of the extracellular environment.

This module consists of three lessons which are the following:

Lesson 1. Nature and Composition of the Plasma Membrane

Lesson 2. Functions of the Cell Membrane
Lesson 3. The Extracellular Environment

What’s up! Lesson 1 will help you learn the nature and components of the cell
membrane. Cell membrane is the structure of the cell that regulates the entrance and
exit of molecules into and out of the cell. At the end of this lesson, you should be able
to:
• describe the membrane structure;
• discuss the nature of the membrane; and,
• discuss the chemical composition of the membrane.

Draw the structure of the plasma membrane inside the box below. Answer the
following questions in analysis.

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 1) Based on your drawing, what are the different parts of the membrane?
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2) What are the functions of each parts?
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The Membrane Structure

The cell membrane is a cell structure which serves as a selective barrier that
separates a cell from its surroundings, enabling the molecular composition of a cell to
differ from that of its environment. The structure of the plasma membrane is simple. It

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consists of a two-ply sheet of lipid molecules about 5 nm – or 50 atoms – thick, into
which proteins have been inserted (Fig. 2.3.1). The lipid – protein components are held
together in a thin sheet through noncovalent bonds.

Figure 3.2.1. Structure of the plasma membrane.

The Lipid Bilayer

The core of the membrane consists of a sheet of lipids arranged in bimolecular
layer. Membranes contain wide diversity of lipids, all of which are amphipathic. They
contain both hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions. There are three main types of
membrane lipids that are known encompassing the following:
• Phosphoglycerides
They are the most abundant membrane lipids in animal cells. They have
a three-carbon glycerol backbone. There are different types of
phosphoglycerides which are the most abundant ones in mammalian cell
membranes including phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine, and
phosphatidylcholine.

• Sphingolipids
These membrane lipids are built from sphingosine rather than glycerol.
Sphingosine is a long acyl chain with an amino group (NH2) and two hydroxyl
groups (-OH) at one end. Sphingomyelin is the most common sphingolipid. Its
fatty acid tail is attached to the amino group.

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 • Cholesterol
In certain animal cells, they may constitute up to 50 percent of the lipid
molecules in the plasma membrane. Cholesterol molecules are oriented with
their small hydrophilic hydroxyl group toward the membrane surface and the
remainder of the molecule embedded in the lipid bilayer. The hydrophobic rings
of a cholesterol molecule are flat and ring, and they interfere with the
movements of the fatty acid tails of the phospholipid.

The Nature and Importance of the Lipid Bilayer

• Each type of cellular membrane has its own characteristic lipid composition
differing from one another in the types of lipids, the nature of the head groups,
and the particular species of fatty acyl chain(s).
• The lipid of the membranes can have important effects on the biological
properties of the membrane. It can determine the its physical state. It can
influence the activity of particular membrane proteins. It provides the precursors
for highly active chemical messengers that regulates cellular function.
• The entire lipid bilayer is only about 60 A (6 nm) thick. It has remarkable
consequences for cell structure and function.
• The hydrocarbon chains of the lipid bilayer are never exposed to surrounding
aqueous solution. Membranes are never seen to have a free edge; they are
always continuous, unbroken structures. Membrane form extensive
interconnected networks within the cells which are deformable and their overall
shape can change during locomotion or cell division.
• The lipid bilayer is thought to facilitates the regulated fusion or budding of
membranes.
• The lipid bilayer has the ability to self – assemble which can be demonstrated
more easily within a test tube than a living cell.

Chemical Composition of the Cell Membrane

The Asymmetry of Membrane Lipids
The lipid bilayer consists of two distinct leaflets that have a distinctly different
lipid composition. All the glycolipids of the plasma membrane are in the outer leaflet
where they often serve as receptors for extracellular ligands.
• Phosphatidylethanolamine which is concentrated in the inner leaflet, tends to
promote the curvature of the membrane. It is important in membrane budding
and fusion.
• Phosphatidylserine which is concentrated in the inner leaflet, a net negative
charge at physiologic pH, is a good candidate for binding positively charged
lysine and arginine residues, such as those adjacent to the membrane-spanning
helix of glycophorin.
• Phosphatidylinositol (PI) which is also concentrated in the inner leaflet, can be
phosphorylated at different sites on the inositol ring, which converts the lipid

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 into a phosphoinositide. - play a key role in the transfer of stimuli from the
plasma membrane to the cytoplasm and the recruitment of proteins to the
cytosolic face of the plasma membrane.

Membrane Carbohydrates
Depending on the species and cell type, the carbohydrate content of the plasma
membrane ranges between 2 and 10 percent by weight. More than 90 percent of the
membrane’s carbohydrate is covalently linked to proteins to form glycoproteins. The
remaining carbohydrate is covalently linked to lipids to form glycolipids. The
carbohydrate of internal cellular membranes also faces away from the cytosol. The
addition of carbohydrate, or glycosylation, is the most complex of these modifications.
The carbohydrate of glycoproteins is present as short, branched hydrophilic
oligosaccharides, typically having fewer than about 15 sugars per chain. In contrast to
most high-molecular-weight carbohydrates (such as glycogen, starch, or cellulose),
which are polymers of a single sugar, the oligosaccharides attached to membrane
proteins and lipids can display extensive variability in composition and structure. Even
the same protein can display different chains of sugars in different cells and tissues.
Oligosaccharides may be attached to several different amino acids by two major types
of linkages.
Membrane Proteins
Depending on the cell type and the particular organelle within that cell, a
membrane may contain hundreds of different proteins. Each membrane protein has a
defined orientation relative to the cytoplasm, so that the properties of one surface of a
membrane are very different from those of the other surface. This asymmetry is referred
to as membrane “sidedness.” In the plasma membrane, for example, those parts of
membrane proteins that interact with other cells or with extracellular substances are
exposed to the extracellular space, whereas those parts of membrane proteins that
interact with cytoplasmic molecules are exposed to the cytosol. Membrane proteins can
be grouped into three distinct classes distinguished by the intimacy of their relationship
to the lipid bilayer (Fig. 3.2.2).

Figure 3.2.2. Various ways in which proteins associate with the lipid bilayer.

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Three Classes of Membrane Protein:
1. Integral proteins - penetrate the lipid
bilayer. It is also called as
transmembrane protein. They pass
entirely through the lipid bilayer and
thus have domains that protrude
from both the extracellular and
cytoplasmic sides of the membrane.
Most integral membrane proteins
function in the following capacities: 1) as receptors that bind specific
substances at the membrane surface, 2) as channels or transporters involved in
the movement of ions and solutes across the membrane, and 3) As agents that
transfer electrons during the processes of photosynthesis and respiration.

2. Peripheral proteins - are located

entirely outside of the lipid bilayer,
on either the cytoplasmic or
extracellular side, yet are associated
with the surface of the membrane by
noncovalent bonds. They function
to: 1) provide mechanical support
for the membrane, 2) as an anchor
for integral membrane proteins 3) as
enzymes, specialized coats, and
factors that transmit transmembrane signals. Peripheral proteins typically have
a dynamic relationship with the membrane, being recruited to the membrane or
released from the membrane depending on prevailing conditions
3. Lipid-anchored proteins - are located
outside the lipid bilayer, on either the
extracellular or cytoplasmic surface,
but are covalently linked to a lipid
molecule that is situated within the
bilayer.
o GPI-anchored proteins. Peripheral
membrane proteins containing this
type of glycosylphosphatidylinositol linkage were discovered when it was
shown that certain membrane proteins could be released by a phospholipase
that specifically recognized and cleaved inositol-containing phospholipids.

Answer the following concisely.

1. Make a 3D model of a plasma membrane.

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 2. Describe the lipid bilayer structure of the plasma membrane.
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3. Discuss the nature of the membrane.
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4. Discuss and briefly describe the chemical composition of the membrane. How
membrane proteins are arranged in the lipid
bilayer?________________________________________________________
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Congratulations! Job well done. In the next lesson, you will be learning the
functions of the cell membrane. Keep it up for Lesson 2.

Hi! Welcome to Lesson 2 of Module 3. In this lesson you will learn about the
roles that cell membranes play. You will learn about the activities that takes place in
the membrane.
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

• discuss the functions of the cell membrane; and,

• discuss the mechanisms how transport of molecules take place in the cell
membrane.

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 Look at the figure below. Analyze it carefully. Answer the questions that
follow in analysis.

1) Will all the molecules be able to pass through the cell membrane?
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.
2) If I am a water molecule, can I easily pass through the cell membrane? Why?
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3) What do you think are the molecules that will not able to pass through the
membrane? Why?
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The Plasma Membrane Functions

• Compartmentalization - allows specialized activities to proceed without
external interference and enables cellular activities to be regulated
independently of one another.

Figure 2.1.1. Compartmentalization in cell membrane.

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 • Scaffold for biochemical activities - membranes provide the cell with an
extensive framework or scaffolding within which components can be ordered
for effective interaction.
• Providing a selectively permeable barrier.
o Membranes prevent the unrestricted exchange of molecules from one
side to the other.
o Membranes provide the means of communication between the
compartments they separate.
• Transporting solutes. - the plasma membrane contains the machinery for
physically transporting substances from one side of the membrane to another,
often from a region where the solute is present at low concentration into a region
where that solute is present at much higher concentration.
• Responding to external stimuli.
o The plasma membrane plays a critical role in the response of a cell to
external stimuli, a process known as signal transduction.
o Membranes possess receptors that combine with specific molecules
(ligands) or respond to other types of stimuli such as light or mechanical
tension.
• Intercellular interaction.
o mediates the interactions between a cell and its neighbors.
o allows cells to recognize and signal one another, to adhere when
appropriate, and to exchange materials and information.
o The plasma membrane proteins within the plasma membrane may also
facilitate the interaction between extracellular materials and the
intracellular cytoskeleton.
• Energy transduction.
Membranes are intimately involved in the processes by which one type of
energy is converted to another type (energy transduction).
o It occurs during photosynthesis when energy in sunlight is absorbed by
membrane-bound pigments, converted into chemical energy, and stored
in carbohydrates.
o Membranes are also involved in the transfer of chemical energy from
carbohydrates and fats to ATP.
o In Eukaryotes conversion take place within membranes of chloroplasts
and mitochondria.

Answer the following. Briefly describe the functions of the cell membrane.
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 _______________________________________________________________
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Well done! You’re now ready to proceed to the next lesson. Lesson 3 will
introduce you to the extracellular environment. Keep it up!

Hi. You are now in Lesson 3 of Module 3. In this lesson, you will be learning
about the extracellular environment specifically their compositions and functions. At
the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
• discuss the composition of the extracellular environment;
• discuss the function of the extracellular matrix;
• discuss the components of ECM; and,
• discuss the transport mechanisms that take place between the cell and the
extracellular environment.

For this lesson, you are going to predict the direction of osmosis. To do it,
prepare the following materials:

• 1 large mouthed bottle

• 1 large potato
• Potato peeler/ knife/scalpel
• 2 pins
• concentrated sucrose/sugar solution. To obtain this, add 100 g of sugar to
200 ml of water.

Do the following: (Reminder: Take photographs of your set-ups)

1. Peel off the skin of a large sized potato with a scalpel/potato peeler.
2. Cut its one end to make the base flat.
3. Make a hollow cavity in the potato almost to the bottom of the potato.
4. Add the concentrated sugar solution into the cavity of the potato, filling it about
half way. Mark the level by inserting a pin at the level of the sugar solution
(insert the pin at an angle into the cavity at the level) (Figure 3.3.1A).
5. Carefully place the potato in the beaker containing water.
6. Observe what happens to the level of the sugar solution in the potato.

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 7. After 15 to 20 minutes, mark the level by inserting the second pin at the level
of the sugar solution (insert as the first pin) (Figure 3.3.2B).

Figure 3.3.1: Using a potato to investigate osmosis.

1. What do you observe happening to the level of the solution inside the
potato?_________________________________________________________
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2. What conclusion can you draw based on your observation?
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3. What conditions were met in this experiment that makes this type of transport
different to diffusion?
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The Extracellular Environment and the Extracellular Matrix

The extracellular environment is a dynamic environment composing the
structural as well as the functional components of the body. It includes all the
components outside the cell. It includes extracellular matrix (ECM) which is composed
of proteins and polysaccharides and of which is a non-cellular constituent vital in
allowing cells to bind together. ECM has the following functions including:

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 1) the regulation of a number of essential process encompassing proliferation,
adhesion, migration, differentiation and tissue homeostasis; and,
2) In vertebrates and plants, by providing a physical framework and functions
as compression system for biochemical stress.
ECM is composed of only five classes of macromolecules which include collagens,
proteoglycans, and a variety of proteins such as fibronectin, and laminin. Figure 3.3.4
show an overview of the macromolecular organization of the extracellular matrix. In
the illustration, the proteins showed (fibronectin, collagen, and laminin) has binding
sites for one another and act as binding sites for receptors (integrins) that are situated at
the cell surface. The proteoglycans which are huge protein complexes used up of most
of the volume of the extracellular space.

Figure 3.3.1. The extracellular matrix.

Collagens
They include a family of fibrous glycoproteins which are only found in
extracellular matrices. They are found all over the entire animal kingdom and known
with its high tensile strength. They are the only most abundant protein in the human
body. They comprise over 25 percent of all protein. They are produced primarily by
fibroblasts. Fibroblasts are found in different types of connective tissues, smooth
muscles, and epithelial cells. Examples of collagen types include:
1) Fibrillar collagen (Types I, II, and III) which assemble into rigid, cable‐like fibrils,
which in turn become packaged into thicker fibers that are typically large enough
to be seen in the light microscope.

A B

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 Figure 3.3.2. Structure of collagen 1. A). The collagen molecule (or monomer) is a triple
helix composed of three helical chains. B). Collagen I molecules become aligned in rows
in which the molecules in one row are staggered relative to those in the neighboring row.

2) Nonfibrillar collagen (ex. Type IV) can only be found limited to basement
membranes. Basement membranes are thin, supportive sheets, and the type IV
collagen molecules are organized into a network that provide mechanical support
and serve as a lattice for the deposition of other extracellular materials.

Figure 3.3.3. The type IV collagen network of the basement membrane.

Proteoglycans
They are distinctive type of protein–polysaccharide complex. It is composed of
a core protein molecule to which chains of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are covalently
linked. Each glycosaminoglycan chain consisted of a repeating disaccharide; that is to
say, it has the structure ‐A‐B‐A‐B‐, where A and B signify two dissimilar sugars. GAGs
are exceedingly acidic due to the presence of both sulfate and carboxyl groups linked
to the sugar rings. Proteoglycans of the extracellular matrix may be brought together
into huge complexes through association of their core proteins to a molecule of
hyaluronic acid which is a nonsulfated GAG (Fig. 3.3. 4a-c).

Figure 3.3.4. The structure of a cartilage‐type proteoglycan complex.

Proteoglycans function:

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 1. The same with collagens, proteoglycans give cartilage and other
extracellular matrices strength and resistance to deformation.
2. Important in cell - cell signaling. A number of growth factors have been
found to bind to proteoglycans, including fibroblast growth factor (FGF)
and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF).

Fibronectin
A protein which is made up of a linear collection of distinct “building blocks,”
or domains providing each polypeptide a modular structure. Each fibronectin
polypeptide is built up from a series of roughly 30 Fn domains (Fig. 3.3.5). In
fibronectin, the 30 or so Fn domains merge to make five or six larger functional units.
Each of the two polypeptide chains that make up a fibronectin molecule contains:
1. Binding locations for several components of the ECM, for instance: collagens,
proteoglycans, and other fibronectin molecules.
2. Binding locations for receptors on the cell surface keeping the ECM in a steady
connection to the cell.

Figure 3.3.5. Structure of fibronectin.

Fig. 3.3. 5 shows a human fibronectin molecule which is composed of two the
same, but nonidentical, polypeptides linked together through a pair of disulfide bonds
positioned close to the C‐termini. Each of this polypeptide is made up of a linear series
of separate modules that are ordered into numerous bigger functional units as shown
via the colored cylinders. As you can see, each of these functional units consists one or
more binding sites which can be either for a particular component of the ECM or for
the surface of cells. A number of these binding activities are designated by the labels.
The cell‐binding location of the polypeptide containing the sequence arg‐gly‐asp, or
RGD, is specified.
Laminins
They are a family of extracellular glycoproteins consisting three dissimilar
polypeptide chains joined by disulfide bonds and structured into a molecule similar to
a cross with three short arms and one long arm (Fig.3.3.1). There are no less than 15
different laminins that have been identified so far. They, like fibronectin affects the

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ability of the cell for migration, growth and differentiation. They can also bind to other
laminin molecules, to proteoglycans, as well as to other components of basement
membrane.
Extracellular Fluid
The water content of the body is divided into two compartments: 1) 67 % of
total body fluid is contained within the cells, in the intracellular compartment, 2) the
remaining 33 % is contained in the extracellular compartment of which 20 % it is from
the blood plasma and the remaining 80 % comes from the interstitial fluid and is
commonly known as the tissue fluid.

Figure 3.3.1. The extracellular matrix and the intracellular matrix.

Transport Mechanisms

Given the different molecules and substances are required for the homeostatic
balance of the cell and the body as a whole, interactions between the cell and its
surrounding environment take place. Gases, water and other molecules pass through
and exit out of the cell. But how do substances move across the cell membrane? Recall
the structure and composition of the cell membrane. As you have learned from the
previous lesson that cell membrane is selectively permeable, meaning that not all
substances can pass through it. Mostly, it is not permeable to large molecules, nucleic
acids and proteins, however, it is permeable to ions, nutrients and wastes.
Categories of Membrane Transport
1) Non- Carrier – mediated (Passive)
• Simple diffusion of lipid soluble molecules
• Simple diffusion through non – specific channels
• Simple diffusion of water (osmosis)
2) Carrier – mediated

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 • Facilitated diffusion (passive)
• Active transport (active)

A number of principles are involved of membrane transport. It is important to

remember that the protein – free lipid bilayers are impermeable to ions. Though given
ample time ions, practically all molecules can diffuse across the protein – free lipid
bilayer down its concentration gradient. However, the rate of diffusion may differ
depending partially on the size of the molecule and its solubility in oil. In general, the
smaller the molecule and the more hydrophobic, or nonpolar, it is, the more easily it
will diffuse across a lipid bilayer. Small nonpolar molecules, such as O 2 and CO2,
readily dissolve in lipid bilayers and therefore diffuse rapidly across them. Small
uncharged polar molecules, such as water or urea, also diffuse across a bilayer, albeit
much more slowly. By contrast, lipid bilayers are essentially impermeable to charged
molecules (ions), no matter how small: the charge and high degree of hydration of such
molecules prevents them from entering the hydrocarbon phase of the bilayer.

Figure 3.3.3. Cell membrane is semipermeable.

There Are Two Main Classes of Membrane Transport Proteins: Transporters

and Channels:
Transporter - also called carriers, or
permeases - bind the specific solute to be
transported and undergo a series of
conformational changes that alternately
expose solute-binding sites on one side of
the membrane and then on the other to
transfer the solute across it.

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 Channels - forms a pore across the
bilayer through which specific solutes
can passively diffuse. When open,
these pores allow specific solutes
(such as inorganic ions of appropriate
size and charge and in some cases
small molecules, including water,
glycerol, and ammonia) to pass
through them and thereby cross the membrane. Not surprisingly, transport
through channels occurs at a much faster rate than transport mediated by
transporters. Although water can slowly diffuse across synthetic lipid bilayers,
cells use dedicated channel proteins (called water channels, or aquaporins) that
greatly increase the permeability of their membranes to water.

Active Transport Is Mediated by Transporters Coupled to an Energy Source

Different forms of membrane transport and the influence of the
membrane. Passive transport down a concentration gradient (or an
electrochemical gradient—see B below) spontaneously, by diffusion, either
through the lipid bilayer directly or through channels or passive transporters. By
contrast, active transport requires an input of metabolic energy and is always
mediated by transporters that pump the solute against its concentration or
electrochemical gradient. (B) The electrochemical gradient of a charged solute
(an ion) affects its transport. This gradient combines the membrane potential
and the concentration gradient of the solute. The electrical and chemical
gradients can work additively to increase the driving force on an ion across the
membrane (middle) or can work against each other (right).

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 Transporters and Active Membrane Transport

Figure 3.3.4. A model of how a conformational change in a transporter mediates the passive
movement of a solute.

The process by which a transporter transfers a solute molecule across the lipid
bilayer resembles an enzyme–substrate reaction, and in many ways, transporters behave
like enzymes. By contrast to ordinary enzyme–substrate reactions, however, the
transporter does not modify the transported solute but instead delivers it unchanged to
the other side of the membrane. Each type of transporter has one or more specific

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binding sites for its solute (substrate). It transfers the solute across the lipid bilayer by
undergoing reversible conformational changes that alternately expose the solute-
binding site first on one side of the membrane and then on the other—but never on both
sides at the same time. The transition occurs through an intermediate state in which the
solute is inaccessible, or occluded, from either side of the membrane.
When the transporter is saturated (that is, when all solute-binding sites are
occupied), the rate of transport is maximal. This rate, referred to as Vmax (V for
velocity), is characteristic of the specific carrier. Vmax measures the rate at which the
carrier can flip between its conformational states. In addition, each transporter has a
characteristic affinity for its solute, reflected in the Km of the reaction, which is equal
to the concentration of solute when the transport rate is half its maximum value. As
with enzymes, the binding of solute can be blocked by either competitive inhibitor
(which compete for the same binding site and may or may not be transported) or
noncompetitive inhibitors (which bind elsewhere and alter the structure of the
transporter).
Cells carry out active transport in three main ways:
1) Coupled transporters - harness the energy stored in concentration gradients to
couple the uphill transport of one solute across the membrane to the downhill
transport of another.
2) ATP-driven pumps - couple uphill transport to the hydrolysis of ATP.
3) Light- or redox-driven pumps - are known in bacteria, archaea, mitochondria,
and chloroplasts, couple uphill transport to an input of energy from light, as with
bacteriorhodopsin, or from a redox reaction, as with cytochrome c oxidase.

Three ways of driving active transport.

• Active Transport Can Be Driven by Ion-Concentration Gradients.

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 Coupled transport involves either the simultaneous transfer of a second solute
in the same direction, performed by symporters (also called co-transporters), or the
transfer of a second solute in the opposite direction, performed by antiporters (also
called exchangers). The tight coupling between the transfer of two solutes allows
the coupled transporters to harvest the energy stored in the electrochemical gradient
of one solute, typically an inorganic ion, to transport the other. In this way, the free
energy released during the movement of an inorganic ion down an electrochemical
gradient is used as the driving force to pump other solutes uphill, against their
electrochemical gradient. This strategy can work in either direction; some coupled
transporters function as symporters, others as antiporters

Schematic diagram shows transporters functioning as uniporters, symporters, and

antiporters

Three Classes of ATP-Driven Pumps.

1. P-type pumps - are structurally and functionally related
multipass transmembrane proteins. They are called “P-
type” because they phosphorylate themselves during the
pumping cycle. This class includes many of the ion pumps
that are responsible for setting up and maintaining
gradients of Na+, K+, H+, and Ca2+ across cell membranes.
2. ABC transporters (ATP-Binding Cassette
transporters). They differ structurally from Ptype
ATPases and primarily pump small molecules across
cell membranes.

3. V-type pumps - are turbine-like protein

machines, constructed from multiple different
subunits. The V-type proton pump transfers H+
into organelles such as lysosomes, synaptic

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 vesicles, and plant or yeast vacuoles (V = vacuolar), to acidify the interior of
these organelles.

1) Why energy is required during active transport?

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2) How do substances traverse the cell membrane?
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3) Why does large molecules cannot easily pass through the membrane?
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4) How do cells carry out active transport?
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5). Describe the components of ECM. What are their functions?

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____________________________________________________.

Yehey! You’re done with Lesson 3 and the entire Module 3. You’re through now
with the prelim coverage. Get ready for the major examination.

References:

Alberts, B., Johnson, A., Lewis, J., D. Morgan, M. Raff, K. Roberts, P. Walter. (2015).
Molecular biology of the cell. 6th edition. Garland Science, Taylor & Francis
Group.

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Arnold Berk, Chris A. Kaiser, Harvey Lodish, Angelika Amon, Hidde
Ploegh, Anthony Bretscher, Monty Krieger, Kelsey C. Martin. (2016). Molecular
cell biology. Macmillan Learning.
Giuliani, E.R., Wilmanski A., Held, R. (2017). Cell and molecular biology. Academx
Publishing Services, Incorporated.
Iwasa, J. and Wallace Marshall. (2016). Karp’s cell and molecular biology: concepts
and experiments. 8th ed. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Kalvodova, L. (2018). Special issue: extracellular matrix and extracellular

environment. [Link]
Karp, G. (2013). Cell and Molecular Biology: concepts and experiments. 7th edition.
John Wiley and Sons, Inc. USA.
Mouw, J. K., Ou, G. Q., Weaver, V. M. (2014). Extracellular matrix assembly: a
multiscale deconstruction. Nat. Rev. Mol. Cell Biol. (15) 771– 785.
Mathivanan, S. (2017). Extracellular matrix and the extracellular
environment. Proteomics, 17(23-24), 7700185.
Pollard, Thomas D., Ernshaw, William C., Lippincott – Schwartz, J. and Graham T.
Johnsosn. (2017). Cell biology. 3rd eds. Elsevier. USA.
Siyavula Technology – powered Teaching (2020). Cell structure and function.
[Link]

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 Project RUBRIC: 3D Model
Name: ____________________________________ Date: _____________
Module No.: __________ Lesson No. ____________

Directions: Review your classmates’ 3D model output on the types of cells. Evaluate each output based
on the categories given. Write the number of your rating in the score column at the leftmost side of the
table. Write below your specific comments on the organization and content, creativity and presentation.

Excellent Good Satisfactory Poor (Needs Score

Criteria (4) (3) (2) improvement)
(1)
Organization Project is highly Project is Project is rather Project is poorly
and Content organized and organized and in organized and some organized and
realistic, contains the most part parts are somewhat unrealistic; some
all the required realistic; contains realistic; contains components are
components. all the required all the required missing.
components. components.

Creativity The design is The design and The design and The design and
unique; layout is layout in the most layout of the layout of the
well – planned part display display satisfactory display poor
and display creativity of the creativity of the creativity of the
outstanding student. student. student.
creativity of the
student.

Presentation The model has The model has The model has The model has
information tags information tags information tags no information
that clearly that identifies the but some tags does tags.
identifies the structures. not accurately
structures. identify the
structures.
Grand Total

Comments:
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
______.

Evaluated by:
____________________________
Name and Signature of Evaluator

23 | C e l l a n d M o l e c u l a r B i o l o g y ADD