What are desmoglein and desmocollin?

Desmocollins are a subfamily of desmosomal cadherins, the transmembrane constituents of desmosomes. They are co-expressed with desmogleins to link adjacent cells by extracellular adhesion. There are seven desmosomal cadherins in humans, three desmocollins and four desmogleins.

Is desmocollin a cadherin?

Desmosomal cadherins, comprising two subtypes called desmogleins and desmocollins, are a subfamily of the cadherin superfamily that mediate calcium-dependent cell–cell adhesion.

What does desmoglein do?

Desmoglein (Dsg) is a cadherin-like adhesion molecule that functions to maintain tissue integrity and facilitates cell–cell communication. These proteins are the target antigens in epidermal blistering diseases such as pemphigus, caused by autoantibody-mediated acantholysis (disruption of keratinocyte adhesion).

What does a desmosome do?

What are desmosomes? Desmosomes are specialized adhesive protein complexes that localize to intercellular junctions and are responsible for maintaining the mechanical integrity of tissues. The term ‘desmosome’ was coined by Josef Schaffer in 1920 and has its origins in the Greek words for bond (desmo) and body (soma).

What are skin desmosomes?

Desmosomes are intercellular junctions that mediate cell–cell adhesion and anchor the intermediate filament network to the plasma membrane, providing mechanical resilience to tissues such as the epidermis and heart.

What happens if desmosomes are dysfunctional?

Desmosome Dysfunction Defines the Clinical Phenotype of Pemphigus. All mechanisms described earlier finally lead to desmosome dysfunction, which impair keratinocyte cohesion. However, the functional interplay of the different mechanisms is not well understood at present.

What happens if you don’t have desmosomes?

All three components of desmosomal adhesion are necessary for desmosomes to properly function in binding adjacent cells together, so if one of the components fails, the desmosomes cannot bind cells properly. This diagram depicts how cells adhere at desmosomes.