Anchor adjacent cells together-confer stability to cell layers (cell adhesion cells)
Present in skin, cardiac muscle, uterus - where integrity of layers important
Major structural elements of these are plaque, glycoproteins filaments extracellularly, and intermediate filament scaffolding
An adhering junction between two adjacent but non touching cells formed by the extension of filaments between the cells’ plasma membranes; most abundant in tissues that are subject to considerable stretching