Abstract
Desmosomes and hemidesmosomes are adhesive junctions important for maintaining adherence within epithelial tissues - a function reflected in the Greek root desmo, meaning bound. Desmosomes facilitate adhesion between adjacent epithelial cells, whereas hemidesmosomes, named for their ultrastructural resemblance to half a desmosome, mediate adhesion between basal cells of epithelial tissues and the substratum. These junctions are functionally alike in their ability to couple the intermediate filament cytoskeleton to sites of cell-cell or cell-substratum contact at the plasma membrane. However, these organelles differ dramatically in their molecular composition and specialized functions.
Original language | English (US) |
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Title of host publication | Encyclopedia of Biological Chemistry |
Subtitle of host publication | Second Edition |
Publisher | Elsevier Inc |
Pages | 636-643 |
Number of pages | 8 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9780123786319 |
ISBN (Print) | 9780123786302 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Feb 15 2013 |
Keywords
- Basement membrane
- Collagens
- Desmosomal cadherins
- Desmosomes
- Hemidesmosomes
- Integrins
- Intermediate filaments
- Laminin-332
- Plakins
- Plakoglobin
- Plakophilins
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology(all)