A desmosome is a type of adhering
junction between
cells that make up body
tissues that are subjected to
stretching and
pulling, such as the
skin. This type of junction provides very tight
contact between adjacent
cells and allows the cells to function as a
unit.
Belt desmosomes are attachment sites that circle a cell, and spot desmosomes are small points of attachment across a cell's surface.
This writeup is based on work I did for the science dictionary at http://biotech.icmb.utexas.edu/