Function
Cadherins (CDH) are calcium-dependent adhesion proteins. They contain extracellular CDH repeats (EC1-EC5) which bind calcium ions. They are encoded by numerous genes numbered CDH1-CDH23. Some names of CDH indicate their locations: E-CDH (epithelial tissue), VE-CDH (vascular epithelial), T-CDH bound to membrane, N-CDH (neurons), P-CDH (placental), K-CDH (kidney). The CDH superfamily contains:
*Protocadhedrins (Prot-CDH) which are similar to CDH but are unique in their cytoplasmic domains. They are found mainly in the brain at cell-cell contacts.[1]
- Desmogleins (Des-CDH) are CDH found in desmosomes.
Structural highlights
The adhesive binding of CDH arises from the exchange of β strand of one CDH with the strand of CDH of a neighboring cell termed strand swap. The strand swapping is enhanced by 2 Trp residues docking into the hydrophobic pocket of the neighboring CDH molecule. [2]
3D Structures of Cadherin
Cadherin 3D structures
- ↑ Angst BD, Marcozzi C, Magee AI. The cadherin superfamily: diversity in form and function. J Cell Sci. 2001 Feb;114(Pt 4):629-41. PMID:11171368
- ↑ Patel SD, Ciatto C, Chen CP, Bahna F, Rajebhosale M, Arkus N, Schieren I, Jessell TM, Honig B, Price SR, Shapiro L. Type II cadherin ectodomain structures: implications for classical cadherin specificity. Cell. 2006 Mar 24;124(6):1255-68. PMID:16564015 doi:https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2005.12.046
