Description
This gene is a member of the cadherin superfamily, whose genes encode calcium dependent cell-cell adhesion glycoproteins. The encoded protein is a large, single-pass transmembrane protein composed of an extracellular domain containing 27 repeats that show significant homology to the cadherin ectodomain. Expressed in the neurosensory epithelium, the protein is thought to be involved in stereocilia organization and hair bundle formation. The gene is located in a region containing the human deafness loci DFNB12 and USH1D. Usher syndrome 1D and nonsyndromic autosomal recessive deafness DFNB12 are caused by allelic mutations of this cadherin-like gene. Two alternative splice variants have been identified that encode different isoforms. Additional variants have been observed but their full-length nature has not been determined