MICROANATOMY

Detailed explanation-1: -Basement membranes are a dense, sheet-like form of extracellular matrix (ECM) that underlie epithelia and endothelia, and surround muscle, fat and Schwann cells. Basement membranes separate tissues and protect them from mechanical stress.

Detailed explanation-2: -Opposite the free surface, the cells are attached to underlying connective tissue by a non-cellular basement membrane. This membrane is a mixture of carbohydrates and proteins secreted by the epithelial and connective tissue cells.

Detailed explanation-3: -Integrins are a key component of hemidesmosomes which serve to anchor the epithelium to the underlying basement membrane.