basement membrane

noun

, Cell Biology.

1. a thin, extracellular membrane underlying epithelial tissue.

Word History and Origins

Origin of basement membrane¹

First recorded in 1840–50

Example Sentences

It’s the type IV collagen in the basement membrane of my cochlea, or inner ear, that is abnormal and contributes to sensorineural hearing loss.

From Salon

These mutant stem cells lie above a layer of extracellular matrix material called the basement membrane. b, The tumours in embryos with a SmoM2 mutation resembled a benign, non-invasive cancer called basal cell carcinoma.

From Nature

These mutant cells actively produced and remodelled the basement membrane, rendering it elastic.

From Nature

The cancer cells generated forces as a result of cellular overcrowding, which buckled the basement membrane, creating a bud-shaped tumour, and produced tension at the boundary with the non-mutant cells. c, The tumours in embryos with an HRas mutation resembled a malignant, invasive cancer termed squamous cell carcinoma.

From Nature

The authors suggest that these forces might rupture the basement membrane, enabling invasion of the underlying tissue.

From Nature