Desmosomal Junctions Govern Tissue Integrity and Actomyosin Contractility in Apoptotic Cell Extrusion (Current Biology)

Thomas et al. show pivotal role of desmosomal junction in governing actomyosin contractility and maintenance of epithelial sheet integrity during apoptotic cell extrusion. We speculate that desmoplakin-depleted tissues could lead to pathological conditions through defective actomyosin contractility and/or apoptotic cell clearance.