Tight Junctions, Desmosomes, and Gap Junctions in Animal Cells• Three types of cell junctions are common in epithelial tissues– At tight junctions, membranes of neighboring cells are pressed together, preventing leakage of extracellular fluid– Desmosomes (anchoring junctions) fasten cells together into strong sheets– Gap junctions (communicating junctions) provide cytoplasmic channels between adjacent cells