Medical Term:
plakins
Pronunciation: plak′inz
Definition: A class of intermediate filament-binding proteins that act in linking keratin filaments to hemidesmosomes in epithelial cells as well as neurofilaments to actin in neurons. Moreover, in many cells they also find intermediate filaments, actin, and microtubules to each other, assisting in the formation of a three-dimensional lattice of cytoskeletal elements.
[G. plakoō, to cover with plates, + -in]
See Also: hemidesmosomes, cytoskeleton
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Examples: glitazone, GI cocktail, etc.
