where are hemidesmosomes commonly found and what is their function
Hemidesmosome Hemidesmosomes (HD) are very small stud- or rivet-like structures on the inner basal surface of keratinocytes in the epidermis of skin. They are similar in form to desmosomes when visualized by electron microscopy. While desmosomes link two cells together, hemidesmosomes attach one cell to the extracellular matrix. Instead of desmogleins, hemidesmosomes use integrins.[2] Hemidesmosomes are asymmetrical and are found in epithelial cells connecting the basal face of the cell to basal lamina.
Streptococcus agalactiae GBS grows readily on blood agar plates as colonies surrounded by a narrow zone of β-hemolysis. GBS is characterized by the presence in the cell wall of the antigen group B of Lancefield classification (Lancefield grouping) that can be detected directly in intact bacteria using latex agglutination tests.[6] The CAMP test is also another important test for identification of GBS. The CAMP factor produced by GBS acts synergistically with the staphylococcal β-hemolysin inducing enhanced hemolysis of sheep or bovine erythrocytes.[6] GBS is also able to hydrolyze hippurate and this test can also be used to identify presumptively GBS.[6] Hemolytic GBS strains produce an orange-brick-red non-isoprenoid polyene pigment (granadaene) when cultivated on granada medium that allows its straightforward identification.[7] A summary of the laboratory techniques for GBS identification is depicted in Ref 7. [8]