Description
N-cadherin, also known as Cadherin-2 (CDH2) or neural cadherin (NCAD),a classical cadherin from the cadherin superfamily, composed of five extracellular cadherin repeats, a transmembrane region and a highly conserved cytoplasmic tail. N-cadherin, as well as other cadherins, interact with N-cadherin on an adjacent cell in an anti-parallel conformation, thus creating a linear, adhesive "zipper". between cells. Cadherin-2 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. In cardiac muscle, N-cadherin is an integral component in adherens junctions residing at intercalated discs, which function to mechanically and electrically couple adjacent cardiomyocytes