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Abstract
The cadherin superfamily of cell-cell adhesion molecules is now known to include proteins
of the desmosome as well as of the adherens type of junction. The desmosomal cadherins
consist of two families of proteins, the desmocollins and the desmogleins, both of
which are represented by different isoforms which are differentially expressed in
epidermis. The desmocollins are quite similar to the classic cadherins in overall
structure, but with alternatively spliced variants; the desmogleins have extra cytoplasmic
sequences added onto the basic cadherin structure. The cytoplasmic domains are specialized
for binding to 'mediator' proteins, such as plakoglobin, which interconnect to the
intermediate filament system rather than the actin filaments as do the classic cadherins.