Desmosomal adhesiveness is developmentally regulated in the mouse embryo and modulated during trophectoderm migration

► Desmosomes become hyper-adhesive on E13 in developing mouse epidermis. ► Desmosomes become hyper-adhesive in the trophectoderm of the late mouse blastocyst. ► Tight junctions become calcium independent in both with the same timing as desmosomes. ► Adherens junctions remain calcium dependent throughout development. ► Adhesiveness of embryonic desmosomes is regulated by conventional protein kinase C isoforms.