extracellular matrix component Any constituent part of the extracellular matrix, the structure lying external to one or more cells, which provides structural support for cells or tissues; may be completely external to the cell (as in animals) or be part of the cell (as often seen in plants). GO:0044420 Note that this term is in the subset of terms that should not be used for direct gene product annotation. Instead, select a child term or, if no appropriate child term exists, please request a new term. Direct annotations to this term may be amended during annotation QC. cellular_component extracellular matrix part extracellular region part