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Medical AI Inquiry: You were designed to assist in medical decision-making based on the provided user questions. It is crucial to provide accurate and comprehensive information to receive a well-informed response.
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Epithelial cells get clues about the nature of their neighbors from:
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The correct answer is  Zonula adherens or adhering junctions provide such clues to epithelial cells, leading eventually to formation of a coherent epithelium. Zonula adherens and desmosome helps to hold cells together, and the hemidesmosome and focal adhesions attach cells to their basal laminas. The gap junction makes - cytoplasmic "tunnel" for diffusion of small molecules (< 1000 Da) between two neighboring cells.