What links a cell and its cytoskeleton to neighboring cells or the basal lamina?

The concept central to the link between a cell and its cytoskeleton, as well as its connections to neighboring cells or the basal lamina, is primarily facilitated by cell junctions. These specialized structures serve to anchor the cytoskeleton to the plasma membrane and to establish adhesive connections between adjacent cells or the extracellular matrix. Different types of cell junctions, such as tight junctions, adherens junctions, desmosomes, and gap junctions, each have distinct roles in maintaining tissue integrity and facilitating communication between cells.

Cell membranes are important for forming the boundaries of cells and for hosting various proteins involved in signaling and adhesion, but they do not provide the direct structural connections necessary for linking cytoskeletons of neighboring cells. Cytoplasmic extensions might refer to processes like filopodia or lamellipodia that extend from the cell but do not serve the primary function of establishing robust connections with adjacent cells. Intercellular matrices refer to the materials outside cells that provide structural and biochemical support, but again, they are not the direct agents connecting cells to their cytoskeletons and each other.

Thus, cell junctions are the structures that effectively create these essential links, outlining their crucial role in cellular organization and communication within tissues.