Desmosomal

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Of or pertaining to desmosomes, the anchoring junctions that connect cells and provide mechanical strength to tissues
2. Concerning the adhesive protein complexes that link adjacent cells together and bind them to the cytoskeleton
3. Involving the cell-to-cell attachment structures composed of cadherins and associated proteins that maintain tissue integrity

Etymology: "Desmosomal" is simply the adjective form of "desmosome," with the ending "-al" attached to mark it as relating to that structure. The noun it is built on is itself a technical coinage from Greek roots: "desmos" meaning "bond" or "band," and "soma" meaning "body." A desmosome is a small structure that binds neighbouring cells together, so the Greek name describes it as a bodily binding. Desmosomal therefore means "relating to desmosomes," used in cell biology and pathology when discussing the junctions that hold tissues such as skin and heart muscle together. The word is a modern scientific formation, not a classical one: the ancient Greeks had the separate roots but never combined them into a term for these structures.

Synonyms: desmosomic