The Desmosome

Overview

Journal Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol

Specialties Biology
Molecular Biology

Date 2010 Jan 13

PMID 20066089

Citations 196

Authors

Emmanuella Delva

Dana K Tucker

Andrew P Kowalczyk

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Desmosomes are intercellular junctions that tether intermediate filaments to the plasma membrane. Desmogleins and desmocollins, members of the cadherin superfamily, mediate adhesion at desmosomes. Cytoplasmic components of the desmosome associate with the desmosomal cadherin tails through a series of protein interactions, which serve to recruit intermediate filaments to sites of desmosome assembly. These desmosomal plaque components include plakoglobin and the plakophilins, members of the armadillo gene family. Linkage to the cytoskeleton is mediated by the intermediate filament binding protein, desmoplakin, which associates with both plakoglobin and plakophilins. Although desmosomes are critical for maintaining stable cell-cell adhesion, emerging evidence indicates that they are also dynamic structures that contribute to cellular processes beyond that of cell adhesion. This article outlines the structure and function of the major desmosomal proteins, and explores the contributions of this protein complex to tissue architecture and morphogenesis.

Citing Articles

The Non-Antibacterial Effects of Azithromycin and Other Macrolides on the Bronchial Epithelial Barrier and Cellular Differentiation.

Asbjarnarson A, Joelsson J, Gardarsson F, Sigurdsson S, Parnham M, Kricker J Int J Mol Sci. 2025; 26(5).

PMID: 40076911 PMC: 11900332. DOI: 10.3390/ijms26052287.

Desmosome and Hemidesmosome Disassembly in Retinal Pigmented Epithelium: Intersection with the Exosome Pathway.

Klingeborn M, Reese E Adv Exp Med Biol. 2025; 1468:339-343.

PMID: 39930219 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-76550-6_56.

The molecular architecture of the desmosomal outer dense plaque by integrative structural modeling.

Pasani S, Menon K, Viswanath S Protein Sci. 2024; 33(12):e5217.

PMID: 39548826 PMC: 11568391. DOI: 10.1002/pro.5217.

Nanotechnology in healthcare, and its safety and environmental risks.

Ma X, Tian Y, Yang R, Wang H, Allahou L, Chang J J Nanobiotechnology. 2024; 22(1):715.

PMID: 39548502 PMC: 11566612. DOI: 10.1186/s12951-024-02901-x.

Revisiting the human umbilical cord epithelium. An atypical epithelial sheath with distinctive features.

Erkan E, Serdaroglu B, Alptekin I, Sahin D, Hendem D, Celikkan F Cell Tissue Res. 2024; 398(3):175-189.

PMID: 39406856 DOI: 10.1007/s00441-024-03920-8.

References

Schmidt A, Heid H, Schafer S, Nuber U, Zimbelmann R, Franke W . Desmosomes and cytoskeletal architecture in epithelial differentiation: cell type-specific plaque components and intermediate filament anchorage. Eur J Cell Biol. 1994; 65(2):229-45. View

Bass-Zubek A, Hobbs R, Amargo E, Garcia N, Hsieh S, Chen X . Plakophilin 2: a critical scaffold for PKC alpha that regulates intercellular junction assembly. J Cell Biol. 2008; 181(4):605-13. PMC: 2386101. DOI: 10.1083/jcb.200712133. View

Mertens C, Kuhn C, Moll R, Schwetlick I, Franke W . Desmosomal plakophilin 2 as a differentiation marker in normal and malignant tissues. Differentiation. 1999; 64(5):277-90. DOI: 10.1046/j.1432-0436.1999.6450277.x. View

Hatzfeld M, Haffner C, Schulze K, Vinzens U . The function of plakophilin 1 in desmosome assembly and actin filament organization. J Cell Biol. 2000; 149(1):209-22. PMC: 2175088. DOI: 10.1083/jcb.149.1.209. View

Mertens C, Kuhn C, Franke W . Plakophilins 2a and 2b: constitutive proteins of dual location in the karyoplasm and the desmosomal plaque. J Cell Biol. 1996; 135(4):1009-25. PMC: 2133394. DOI: 10.1083/jcb.135.4.1009. View

Smith E, Fuchs E . Defining the interactions between intermediate filaments and desmosomes. J Cell Biol. 1998; 141(5):1229-41. PMC: 2137181. DOI: 10.1083/jcb.141.5.1229. View

Amagai M . Pemphigus: autoimmunity to epidermal cell adhesion molecules. Adv Dermatol. 1996; 11:319-52; discussion 353. View

Berkowitz P, Chua M, Liu Z, Diaz L, Rubenstein D . Autoantibodies in the autoimmune disease pemphigus foliaceus induce blistering via p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase-dependent signaling in the skin. Am J Pathol. 2008; 173(6):1628-36. PMC: 2626375. DOI: 10.2353/ajpath.2008.080391. View

Troyanovsky S, Troyanovsky R, Eshkind L, Leube R, Franke W . Identification of amino acid sequence motifs in desmocollin, a desmosomal glycoprotein, that are required for plakoglobin binding and plaque formation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1994; 91(23):10790-4. PMC: 45111. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.91.23.10790. View

10.

Al-Amoudi A, Frangakis A . Structural studies on desmosomes. Biochem Soc Trans. 2008; 36(Pt 2):181-7. DOI: 10.1042/BST0360181. View

11.

Chitaev N, Leube R, Troyanovsky R, Eshkind L, Franke W, Troyanovsky S . The binding of plakoglobin to desmosomal cadherins: patterns of binding sites and topogenic potential. J Cell Biol. 1996; 133(2):359-69. PMC: 2120792. DOI: 10.1083/jcb.133.2.359. View

12.

Green K, Virata M, Elgart G, Stanley J, Parry D . Comparative structural analysis of desmoplakin, bullous pemphigoid antigen and plectin: members of a new gene family involved in organization of intermediate filaments. Int J Biol Macromol. 1992; 14(3):145-53. DOI: 10.1016/s0141-8130(05)80004-2. View

13.

Sonnenberg A, Liem R . Plakins in development and disease. Exp Cell Res. 2007; 313(10):2189-203. DOI: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2007.03.039. View

14.

Iwatsuki K, Takigawa M, Imaizumi S, Yamada M . In vivo binding site of pemphigus vulgaris antibodies and their fate during acantholysis. J Am Acad Dermatol. 1989; 20(4):578-82. DOI: 10.1016/s0190-9622(89)70066-9. View

15.

Berkowitz P, Diaz L, Hall R, Rubenstein D . Induction of p38MAPK and HSP27 phosphorylation in pemphigus patient skin. J Invest Dermatol. 2007; 128(3):738-40. DOI: 10.1038/sj.jid.5701080. View

16.

Delva E, Kowalczyk A . Regulation of cadherin trafficking. Traffic. 2008; 10(3):259-67. PMC: 2905039. DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0854.2008.00862.x. View

17.

Parker A, Wheeler G, Arnemann J, Pidsley S, Ataliotis P, Thomas C . Desmosomal glycoproteins II and III. Cadherin-like junctional molecules generated by alternative splicing. J Biol Chem. 1991; 266(16):10438-45. View

18.

Kowalczyk A, Bornslaeger E, Borgwardt J, Palka H, Dhaliwal A, Corcoran C . The amino-terminal domain of desmoplakin binds to plakoglobin and clusters desmosomal cadherin-plakoglobin complexes. J Cell Biol. 1997; 139(3):773-84. PMC: 2141713. DOI: 10.1083/jcb.139.3.773. View

19.

Mueller H, Franke W . Biochemical and immunological characterization of desmoplakins I and II, the major polypeptides of the desmosomal plaque. J Mol Biol. 1983; 163(4):647-71. DOI: 10.1016/0022-2836(83)90116-x. View

20.

Den Z, Cheng X, Merched-Sauvage M, Koch P . Desmocollin 3 is required for pre-implantation development of the mouse embryo. J Cell Sci. 2006; 119(Pt 3):482-9. DOI: 10.1242/jcs.02769. View