Publication Abstract from PubMed
Crystal structures of the amino-terminal domain of N-cadherin provide a picture at the atomic level of a specific adhesive contact between cells. A repeated set of dimer interfaces is common to the structure in three lattices. These interactions combine to form a linear zipper of molecules that mirrors the linear structure of the intracellular filaments with which cadherins associate. This cell-adhesion zipper may provide a mechanism to marshal individual molecular adhesive interactions into strong bonds between cells.
Structural basis of cell-cell adhesion by cadherins.,Shapiro L, Fannon AM, Kwong PD, Thompson A, Lehmann MS, Grubel G, Legrand JF, Als-Nielsen J, Colman DR, Hendrickson WA Nature. 1995 Mar 23;374(6520):327-37. PMID:7885471[1]
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
