Description
Description: Cadherin-2(CDH2), also known as neural cadherin(NCAD), is a protein that in humans is encoded by the CDH2 gene. It is a classical cadherin from the cadherin superfamily. This gene is mapped to 18q12.1. Cadherin-2 is expressed in the brain, skeletal and cardiac muscle. Cadherin-2 is commonly found in cancer cells and provides a mechanism for transendothelial migration. It is a calcium dependent cell-cell adhesion glycoprotein comprising five extracellular cadherin repeats, a transmembrane region and a highly conserved cytoplasmic tail. The protein functions during gastrulation and is required for establishment of left-right asymmetry. At certain central nervous system synapses, presynaptic to postsynaptic adhesion is mediated at least in part by this gene product.
Protein 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. Acts as a regulator of neural stem cells quiescence by mediating anchorage of neural stem cells to ependymocytes in the adult subependymal zone: upon cleavage by MMP24, CDH2-mediated anchorage is affected, leading to modulate neural stem cell quiescence. CDH2 may be involved in neuronal recognition mechanism. In hippocampal neurons, may regulate dendritic spine density (By similarity)