Definition
Hemidesmosomes are multi‐protein complexes that provide firm adhesion of basal epithelial cells to the underlying basement membrane in (pseudo‐) stratified and some complex epithelia. Hemidesmosomes were initially defined as distinctive electron‐dense structures, composed of an inner plaque connected to the intermediate filament system, an outer plaque, which is linked to the extracellular basement membrane and a sub‐basal dense plate located beneath the outer plaque in the lamina lucida of the basement membrane (Fig. 1).
Structure of the hemidesmosome. (left) Electron micrograph of a skin sample containing hemidesmosomes. AF, anchoring fibrils; LL, lamina lucida; LD, lamina densa; SDP, sub‐basal dense plate; OP, outer plaque; IP, inner plaque; IF, intermediate filaments. (right) Schematic representation of a hemidesmosome illustrating the molecular interactions involved in its assembly.
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References
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© 2005 Springer-Verlag
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Litjens, S.H., Sonnenberg, A. (2005). Hemidesmosomes. In: Encyclopedic Reference of Genomics and Proteomics in Molecular Medicine. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg . https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-29623-9_2980
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-29623-9_2980
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-44244-8
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