0000000000850881
AUTHOR
Sergey M. Troyanovsky
Structure and Function of Desmosomes
Desmosomes are prominent adhesion sites that are tightly associated with the cytoplasmic intermediate filament cytoskeleton providing mechanical stability in epithelia and also in several nonepithelial tissues such as cardiac muscle and meninges. They are unique in terms of ultrastructural appearance and molecular composition with cell type-specific variations. The dynamic assembly properties of desmosomes are important prerequisites for the acquisition and maintenance of tissue homeostasis. Disturbance of this equilibrium therefore not only compromises mechanical resilience but also affects many other tissue functions as becomes evident in various experimental scenarios and multiple diseas…
Special Program of Differentiation Expressed in Keratinocytes of Human Haarscheiben: An Analysis of Individual Cytokeratin Polypeptides
Human haarscheiben, epidermal Merkel cell-rich sensory organs of hairy skin, were studied for the expression of various cytokeratin (CK) polypeptides and other epithelial and neuronal differentiation markers by applying immunoperoxidase and immunofluorescence microscopy to frozen sections and by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. The basal clusters of Merkel cells were specifically detected by antibodies against CK 20. Haarscheiben keratinocytes were unique mainly by the prominent expression of CK 17 in the lower and middle layers. Further differences as compared to keratinocytes of usual epidermis included the enlargement of the basal compartment, characterized by the expression of CK 5 …