Not to be confused with Retinal. Retinol, also known as Vitamin A1, is a vitamin found in food and used as a dietary supplement. As a supplement it is used to treat and prevent vitamin A deficiency, especially that which is resulting in xerophthalmia.
Desmosomes are anchoring junctions â mechanical couplings scattered like rivets along the sides of adjacent cells to prevent their separation. On the cytoplasmic face of each plasma membrane is a thickening called a plaque.
A cell junction (or intercellular bridge) is a type of structure that exists within the tissue of some multicellular organisms, such as animals. Cell junctions consist of multiprotein complexes that provide contact between neighbouring cells or between a cell and the extracellular matrix. They also build up the paracellular barrier of epithelia and control the paracellular transport. Cell junctions are especially abundant in epithelial tissues. Cell junctions are especially important in enabling communication between neighboring cells via specialized proteins called communicating junctions. Cell junctions are also important in reducing stress placed upon cells.