These connective structures, called adherens junctions, play important roles in tissue development and renewal, but remain ...

Tight junctions (blue dots) between cells are connected areas of the plasma membrane that stitch cells together. Adherens junctions (red dots) join the actin filaments of neighboring cells together.

In particular, adaptor complexes bind adherens junctions to cytoskeletal actin, and other adaptor complexes bind desmosomes to intermediate filaments. Both of these types of junctional complexes ...