background:
The cadherins are a family of Ca++-dependent adhesion molecules that function to mediate cell-cell binding critical to the maintenance of tissue structure and morphogenesis. Cadherins each contain a large extracellular domain at the amino terminus, which is characterized by a series of five homologous repeats, the most distal of which is thought to be responsible for binding specificity. The relatively short carboxy terminal, intracellular domain interacts with a variety of cytoplasmic proteins, including catenin b, to regulate cadherin function. R-cadherin (for retinal-cadherin, also designated cadherin-4), which was first identified in the retina of chicken, has been shown to be involved in the development of striated muscle and potentially epithelia in addition to its involvement in retinal development.
Function:
Cadherins are calcium dependent cell adhesion proteins. They preferentially interact with themselves in a homophilic manner in connecting cells; cadherins may thus contribute to the sorting of heterogeneous cell types. May play an important role in retinal development.
Subcellular Location:
Cell membrane.
Tissue Specificity:
Expressed mainly in brain but also found in other tissues.
Similarity:
Contains 5 cadherin domains.
Database links:
UniProtKB/Swiss-Prot: P55283.2
Important Note:
This product as supplied is intended for research use only, not for use in human, therapeutic or diagnostic applications.
|
|
