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). 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.
- 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.
