Editing Intercalated disc (section)

==Structure==
Intercalated discs are complex structures that connect adjacent [[cardiac muscle cell]]s. The three types of [[cell junction]] recognised as making up an intercalated disc are [[desmosome]]s, [[Fascia adherens|fascia adherens junctions]], and [[gap junction]]s.<ref name="Zhao">{{cite journal |last1=Zhao |first1=G |last2=Qiu |first2=Y |last3=Zhang |first3=HM |last4=Yang |first4=D |title=Intercalated discs: cellular adhesion and signaling in heart health and diseases. |journal=Heart Failure Reviews |date=January 2019 |volume=24 |issue=1 |pages=115–132 |doi=10.1007/s10741-018-9743-7 |pmid=30288656|s2cid=52919432 }}</ref>

* [[Fascia adherens]] are anchoring sites for [[actin]], and connect to the closest sarcomere.<ref name=":0">{{Citation|last=Feher|first=Joseph|title=5.7 - The Cellular Basis of Cardiac Contractility|date=2012-01-01|url=http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128008836000513|work=Quantitative Human Physiology (Second Edition)|pages=547–555|editor-last=Feher|editor-first=Joseph|place=Boston|publisher=Academic Press|language=en|doi=10.1016/b978-0-12-800883-6.00051-3|isbn=978-0-12-800883-6|access-date=2020-12-28|url-access=subscription}}</ref>
* [[Desmosome]]s prevent separation during contraction by binding [[intermediate filament]]s, anchoring the cell membrane to the intermediate filament network, joining the cells together. <ref name="Zhao"/><ref name=":0" />
* [[Gap junctions]] connect the cytoplasms of neighboring cells electrically allowing [[cardiac action potential]]s to spread between cardiac cells by permitting the passage of ions between cells, producing [[depolarization]] of the heart muscle.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="Zhao"/>

All of these junctions work together as a single unit called the '''area composita'''.<ref name="Zhao"/>