Desmosomes

Desmosomes are anchoring junctions found more abundantly in tissues that experience mechanical stress, such as heart muscle and intestinal epithelium.

Cell adhesion at desmosomes is facilitated by desmosomal cadherins, namely desmocollin and desmoglein, which adhere via heterophilic interactions of their extracellular domains.

The cytoplasmic domain of the cadherins binds catenins called plakoglobins and plakophilins, which form a dense plaque on the cytoplasmic side.

The catenins cannot directly bind intermediate filaments, and are linked to them by desmoplakin- a cytoskeletal linker protein belonging to the plakin family.

Desmoplakin's N-terminal domain binds the catenins, and their C-terminal plakin repeats bind the intermediate filaments.

Thus, the desmosome anchors the intermediate filaments of adjacent cells, forming a transcellular cytoskeletal network across the tissue.