[4] The underlying connective tissue attaches to the basal lamina with collagen VII anchoring fibrils and fibrillin microfibrils.

The basement membrane acts as a mechanical barrier, preventing malignant cells from invading the deeper tissues.

[7] Early stages of malignancy that are thus limited to the epithelial layer by the basement membrane are called carcinoma in situ.

[12] Diseases involving basement membranes at multiple locations include: In histopathology, thickened basement membranes are found in several inflammatory diseases, such as lichen sclerosus, systemic lupus erythematosus or dermatomyositis in the skin, or collagenous colitis in the colon.

The homoscleromorph were found to be sister to diploblasts in some studies, making the membrane originate once in the history of life.