Abstract: Desmosomes are intercellular junctions that connect intermediate filaments to the cell surface and mediate strong cell -cell adhesion. Desmosomes are composed largely of proteins from three major gene families: desmosomal cadherins, armadillo family proteins and the plakin family of cytolinkers. The cadherins are a superfamily of adhesion molecules that function in cell recognition, tissue morphogenesis, and tumor suppression. Cadherins are important modulators of tumor invasion and metastasize.