Cadherin / Cadherins

Sino Biological offers a comprehensive set of tools for research on cadherin superfamily, including recombinant proteins, antibodies (rabbit mAbs, mouse mAbs, rabbit pAbs), ELISA kits, and ORF cDNA clones. The Cadherin (Calcium dependent adhesion molecule) Superfamily includes cadherins (classical), protocadherins, desmogleins, and desmocollins, and more. In structure, they share cadherin repeats, which are the extracellular Ca²⁺-binding domains. Classical Cadherins are versatile cell–cell adhesion receptors, and play important roles in animal development, such as the patterning of the central nervous system, and stable tissue fomation.

Cadherin Superfamily Products

Cadherins

• Cadherin-6 / K-Cadherin / CDH6
• Cadherin-17 / LI-cadherin
• R-Cadherin / CDH4
• Cadherin-8 / CDH8
• E-Cadherin / CDH1 / CD324
• VE-Cadherin / CDH5 / CD144
• Cadherin-11 / OB-Cadherin
• KSP-Cadherin / CDH16
• Cadherin-12 / CDH12
• N-Cadherin / CDH2 / CD325

Desmosomal

• DSC2
• DSG1
• DSG2

Protocadherins

• PCDH10
• PCDHGA2
• PCDHGA10
• PCDH18
• PCDHGA3
• PCDHG11
• PCDH19
• PCDHGA5
• PCDHGB3
• PCDHGA1
• PCDHGA6
• PCDHGB7
• PCDHGC4

Cadherin Superfamily Background

The Cadherin (Calcium dependent adhesion molecule) Superfamily includes cadherins (classical), protocadherins, desmogleins, and desmocollins, and more. In structure, they share cadherin repeats, which are the extracellular Ca²⁺-binding domains. Classical Cadherins are versatile cell–cell adhesion receptors, and play important roles in animal development, such as the patterning of the central nervous system, and stable tissue fomation. As type I membrane glycoproteins, they function as dynamic membrane-spanning macro-molecular complexes. Because of the classical cadherins lack intrinsic enzymatic activity, their interactions with intracellular events occur through some intermediate proteins. Some well known family members include: β-catenin, which binds directly to the distal region of the cytoplasmic tail; α-catenin, which is indirectly coupled to the cadherin complex by association with β-catenin; and p120-catenin which binds to the membrane-proximal region of the cadherin cytoplasmic tail. There are other members of the Cadherin Superfamily that do not contain obvious catenin-binding sites, but, at least in some cases, are slso be grouped into subfamilies, such as the protocadherins, the Fat-like cadherins and the seven-pass transmembrane cadherins. Different members of the Cadherin Superfamily are found in different locations. E-cadherins are found in epithelial tissue, N-cadherins in neurons, and P-cadherins in the placenta. T-cadherins have no cytoplasmic domains and must cluster together to the plasma membrane. Recently, E-cadherin is used by pathologists to diagnose different kinds of breast cancer. In addition, N-cadherin, VE-cadherin and OB-cadherin also have been implicated as regulators of tumor growth and metastasis. Thus, cadherins and their antagonists have been used as cancer diagnoses and therapy.

Cadherin Superfamily Related Studies

1. Angst B, et al. (2001). The cadherin superfamily: diversity in form and function. J Cell Sci. 114 (Pt 4): 629–41.
2. Goodwin M, et al. (2004) Classical cadherin adhesion molecules: coordinating cell adhesion, signaling and the cytoskeleton. J Mol Histol. 35(8-9): 839–844.
3. Gumbiner BM. (2005) Regulation of cadherin-mediated adhesion in morphogenesis. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 6(8): 622–634.
4. Leckband D, et al. (2006) Mechanism and dynamics of cadherin adhesion. Annu Rev Biomed Eng. 8: 259–287.
5. Hulpiau P, et al. (2009). Molecular evolution of the cadherin superfamily. Int J Biochem Cell Biol. 41(2): 349–69.