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.
1 Desmosomes connect adjacent cells when cadherins in the plasma membrane connect to intermediate filaments.  Similar to plasmodesmata, gap junctions are channels between adjacent cells that allow for the transport of ions, nutrients, and other substances.