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.
Gap junctions help coordinate the functoning of adjacent cells by allowing smalll molecules and ions to pass from cell to cell. In epithelial cells, gap junctions help coordinate functions such as the beating of cilia. In cardiac and smooth muscle tissues, they are essential in achieving coordinated muscle cell contractions.