Question

What are the functions of the Glycocalyx?

Answer 1

In animals and some protists, the plasma membrane is not surrounded by a cellulose-based cell wall, but rather by a thin layer of oligosaccharides known as a cell coat. The Glycocalyx, also known as the cell coat, is a layer that surrounds the cell membrane of bacteria, epithelial cells, and some other cells.

Complete answer:
The pericellular matrix, also known as the glycocalyx, is a glycoprotein and glycolipid coating that surrounds the cell membranes of bacteria, epithelial, and other cells. Martinez-Palomo discovered the glycocalyx, a cell coating found in animal cells, in 1970.
The plasma membranes of the majority of animal epithelial cells have a fuzz-like coating on the outside. Several carbohydrate moieties of membrane glycolipids and glycoproteins serve as backbone molecules for support in this coating. In general, the carbohydrate portion of glycolipids found on plasma membrane surfaces aids these molecules in contributing to cell-cell communication.
The glycocalyx is a layer formed when carbohydrate parts of large molecules expand beyond the outer surface of membranes. This structure serves a variety of functions, including:
Locomotion and anchoring – because the components are sticky, the glycocalyx can help the cells stay put. It also participates in the movement of special cells.
Protection and lubrication – glycolipids and glycoproteins form a viscous layer on the cell membrane that lubricates and protects it.
Glycolipids and glycoproteins can act as receptors that bind specific extracellular compounds, providing specificity in binding. This binding has the potential to alter the characteristics of a cell's surface and, as a result, influence the cells' behavior.

Note:
Glycocalyx is the slime that coats the outside of a fish. The term was first applied to the polysaccharide matrix that coats epithelial cells, but it has since been discovered that its functions extend far beyond that.