Are desmosomes more than tethers for intermediate filaments?

Desmosomes are intercellular adhesive junctions that anchor intermediate filaments at membrane-associated plaques in adjoining cells, thereby forming a three-dimensional supracellular scaffolding that provides tissues with mechanical strength. But desmosomes have also recently been recognized as sen...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Nature reviews. Molecular cell biology Vol. 1; no. 3; pp. 208 - 216
Main Authors:	Green, Kathleen J, Gaudry, Claire A
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	England Nature Publishing Group 01-12-2000
Subjects:	Adhesives Animals Cadherins - genetics Cytoskeletal Proteins - genetics Desmoglein 1 Desmoglein 3 Desmoplakins Desmosomes - physiology Epithelium - metabolism Humans Intermediate Filaments - physiology Mice Models, Biological Plakophilins Proteins Proteins - genetics Sensors Signal Transduction
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Summary:	Desmosomes are intercellular adhesive junctions that anchor intermediate filaments at membrane-associated plaques in adjoining cells, thereby forming a three-dimensional supracellular scaffolding that provides tissues with mechanical strength. But desmosomes have also recently been recognized as sensors that respond to environmental and cellular cues by modulating their assembly state and, possibly, their signalling functions.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-2 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-3 content type line 23 ObjectType-Review-1
ISSN:	1471-0072 1471-0080
DOI:	10.1038/35043032