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.
Also found only in animal cells are desmosomes, the second type of intercellular junctions in these cell types. Desmosomes act like spot welds between adjacent epithelial cells, connecting them . Short proteins called cadherins in the plasma membrane connect to intermediate filaments to create desmosomes.