This gene encodes a type II classical cadherin from the cadherin superfamily of integral membrane proteins that mediate calcium-dependent cell-cell adhesion. Mature cadherin proteins are composed of a large N-terminal extracellular domain, a single membrane-spanning domain, and a small, highly conserved C-terminal cytoplasmic domain. Type II (atypical) cadherins are defined based on their lack of an HAV cell adhesion recognition sequence specific to type I cadherins. This particular cadherin appears to be expressed specifically in the brain and its temporal pattern of expression would be consistent with a role during a critical period of neuronal development, perhaps specifically during synaptogenesis.[6]
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Kremmidiotis G, Baker E, Crawford J, et al. (1998). "Localization of human cadherin genes to chromosome regions exhibiting cancer-related loss of heterozygosity". Genomics. 49 (3): 467–71. doi:10.1006/geno.1998.5281. PMID9615235.
Chalmers IJ, Höfler H, Atkinson MJ (1999). "Mapping of a cadherin gene cluster to a region of chromosome 5 subject to frequent allelic loss in carcinoma". Genomics. 57 (1): 160–3. doi:10.1006/geno.1998.5717. PMID10191097.