Connective tissue extracellular matrix groups

Fig. 3.1 Composition of the connective tissue extracellular matrix. Collagen fibers, maroon Elastic fibers, green Hyaluronan-proteoglycan matrix, gray. Fibroblasts, a macrophage, a mast cell, and a capillary containing a red blood cell are also shown (Modified from Fig. 19-34 in The Molecular Biology of the Cell. B. Alberts et al., 4th Ed. 2002. Garland Science, Taylor Francis Group, NY)...

The basal lamina, a thin meshwork of extracellular matrix (ECM) molecules, separates most epithelia and other organized groups of cells from adjacent connective tissue. Together, the basal lamina and collagenous reticular lamina form a structure called the basement membrane. 

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