In biology

Biology

Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...

, matrix (plural: matrices) is the material (or tissue) between animal or plant cells

Cell (biology)

The cell is the basic structural and functional unit of all known living organisms. It is the smallest unit of life that is classified as a living thing, and is often called the building block of life. The Alberts text discusses how the "cellular building blocks" move to shape developing embryos....

, in which more specialized structures are embedded, and a specific part of the mitochondrion

Mitochondrion

In cell biology, a mitochondrion is a membrane-enclosed organelle found in most eukaryotic cells. These organelles range from 0.5 to 1.0 micrometers in diameter...

 that is the site of oxidation of organic molecules. The internal structure of connective tissue

Connective tissue

"Connective tissue" is a fibrous tissue. It is one of the four traditional classes of tissues . Connective Tissue is found throughout the body.In fact the whole framework of the skeleton and the different specialized connective tissues from the crown of the head to the toes determine the form of...

s is an extracellular matrix

Extracellular matrix

In biology, the extracellular matrix is the extracellular part of animal tissue that usually provides structural support to the animal cells in addition to performing various other important functions. The extracellular matrix is the defining feature of connective tissue in animals.Extracellular...

. Finger nails and toenails grow from matrices.

Extracellular matrix

The molecules forming the "glue" between cells in connective tissues are summarily referred to as the extracellular matrix.

Bone matrix

Bone

Bone

Bones are rigid organs that constitute part of the endoskeleton of vertebrates. They support, and protect the various organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells and store minerals. Bone tissue is a type of dense connective tissue...

 is a form of connective tissue found in the body and has a storage area, or osteon

Osteon

The osteon, or Haversian system, is the fundamental functional unit of much compact bone. Osteons, roughly cylindrical structures that are typically several millimeters long and around 0.2mm in diameter, are present in many of the bones of most mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians.Each osteon...

 region, also called matrix that allows mineral salts such as calcium to be stored.

Mitochondrial matrix

In the mitochondrion

Mitochondrion

In cell biology, a mitochondrion is a membrane-enclosed organelle found in most eukaryotic cells. These organelles range from 0.5 to 1.0 micrometers in diameter...

, the matrix contains soluble enzymes that catalyze

Catalysis

Catalysis is the change in rate of a chemical reaction due to the participation of a substance called a catalyst. Unlike other reagents that participate in the chemical reaction, a catalyst is not consumed by the reaction itself. A catalyst may participate in multiple chemical transformations....

 the oxidation of pyruvate

Pyruvic acid

Pyruvic acid is an organic acid, a ketone, as well as the simplest of the alpha-keto acids. The carboxylate ion of pyruvic acid, CH3COCOO−, is known as pyruvate, and is a key intersection in several metabolic pathways....

 and other small organic

Organic chemistry

Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the scientific study of the structure, properties, composition, reactions, and preparation of carbon-based compounds, hydrocarbons, and their derivatives...

 molecule

Molecule

A molecule is an electrically neutral group of at least two atoms held together by covalent chemical bonds. Molecules are distinguished from ions by their electrical charge...

s.

Nuclear matrix

In the cell nucleus

Cell nucleus

In cell biology, the nucleus is a membrane-enclosed organelle found in eukaryotic cells. It contains most of the cell's genetic material, organized as multiple long linear DNA molecules in complex with a large variety of proteins, such as histones, to form chromosomes. The genes within these...

 the matrix is the insoluble fraction that remains after extracting the solubled DNA

DNA

Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...

.

Golgi matrix

The Golgi matrix is a protein scaffold made up of golgins on the cytoplasm

Cytoplasm

The cytoplasm is a small gel-like substance residing between the cell membrane holding all the cell's internal sub-structures , except for the nucleus. All the contents of the cells of prokaryote organisms are contained within the cytoplasm...

ic side of the Golgi apparatus

Golgi apparatus

The Golgi apparatus is an organelle found in most eukaryotic cells. It was identified in 1898 by the Italian physician Camillo Golgi, after whom the Golgi apparatus is named....

 involved in keeping its shape and membrane stacking.

Matrix (medium)

A matrix is also a medium

Growth medium

A growth medium or culture medium is a liquid or gel designed to support the growth of microorganisms or cells, or small plants like the moss Physcomitrella patens.There are different types of media for growing different types of cells....

 in which bacteria

Bacteria

Bacteria are a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals...

 are grown (cultured). For instance, a Petri dish

Petri dish

A Petri dish is a shallow glass or plastic cylindrical lidded dish that biologists use to culture cells or small moss plants. It was named after German bacteriologist Julius Richard Petri, who invented it when working as an assistant to Robert Koch...

 of agar

Agar

Agar or agar-agar is a gelatinous substance derived from a polysaccharide that accumulates in the cell walls of agarophyte red algae. Throughout history into modern times, agar has been chiefly used as an ingredient in desserts throughout Asia and also as a solid substrate to contain culture medium...

 may be the matrix for culturing a sample swab

Swab

Swab may refer to:* Cotton swab, comprising a small wad of cotton on the end of a short rod* A nautical term for a yarn mop**By extension, a low-ranking sailor...

bed from a patient's throat.

Molecular biology

• Matrix attachment region
• Matrix metalloproteinase
  Matrix metalloproteinase
  Matrix metalloproteinases are zinc-dependent endopeptidases; other family members are adamalysins, serralysins, and astacins. The MMPs belong to a larger family of proteases known as the metzincin superfamily....
  
  
• Matrix protein
  Matrix protein
  Viral matrix proteins are non structural proteins linking the viral envelope with the virus core. They play a crucial role in virus assembly, and interact with the RNP complex as well as with the viral membrane...
  
  

Bioinformatics and sequence evolution

• PAM matrix
• Position-specific scoring matrix
  Position-specific scoring matrix
  A position weight matrix , also called position-specific weight matrix or position-specific scoring matrix , is a commonly used representation of motifs in biological sequences....
  
  
• Similarity matrix
  Similarity matrix
  A similarity matrix is a matrix of scores which express the similarity between two data points. Similarity matrices are strongly related to their counterparts, distance matrices and substitution matrices.-Use in sequence alignment:...
  
  
• Substitution matrix
  Substitution matrix
  In bioinformatics and evolutionary biology, a substitution matrix describes the rate at which one character in a sequence changes to other character states over time...