Read text files without for loop

I ve got a cell with names of text files and I want to use textread in order to read all the files. I am trying to do it, without using for loop so I am trying to do something like the following

feature = ones(1,397);
feature = textread(num2str(cell2mat(strcat(outNames(1:end), '.descr'))));

Where outNames a cell with filenames and .descr the extension of the files. My problem is in indexing (1:end). Is it possible to do so, without using for loop, and how?