Neural cadherin

Wu Q, Maniatis T. A striking organization of a large family of human neural cadherin-like cell adhesion genes. Cell 1999 97[6] 779-790. 

Cadherins are calcium-dependent and establish molecular links between adjacent cells. They include neural cadherins (NC), epithelial cadherins (EC), placental cadherins (PC), protocadherins and desmosomal cadherins. Cadherins mediate homophilic interactions and form zipper-like structures at adherens junctions and... 

Monier-Gavell, F. and Duban, J.-L. Cross talk between adhesion molecules control of N-cadherin activity by intracellular signals elicited by 01 and 03 integrins in migrating neural crest cells./. Cell Biol. 137 1663-1681,1997. 

Redies, C., Treubert-Zimmerman, U. and Luo, J. Cadherins as regulators for the emergence of neural nets from embryonic divisions. /. Physiol. (Paris). 97 5-15, 2003. 

Adhesion molecules such as LI, neural cell adhesion molecule (N-CAM) and N-cadherin promote axonal regeneration by homophilic interactions between axons and Schwann cell surfaces (see Ch. 7). The expression of p75 (low affinity NGF receptor, Ch. 27) is also increased at the Schwann cell surface after injury. Extracellular matrix molecules, such as tenascin and proteoglycans, increase the regenerative potential of damaged peripheral nerves by binding to integrins on the axonal surface. 

Cadherins are transmembrane glycoproteins that are prime mediators of cell-cell adhesion via calcium-dependent interactions. Different members of the family are found in different locations (e.g., E-cadherin is found in epithelial tissue, N-cadherin is found in muscle and adult neural tissues, P-cadherin is found in the placenta). 

Neural recognition molecules, also called cellcell adhesion molecules (CAMs), are involved in neuron-neuron and neuron-glia interactions, e.g. neuronal migration and neurite outgrowth (Doherty and Walsh, 1989). In general, CAMs can be divided into (1) molecules of the immunoglobulin superfamily (Ig-family), which operate in a calcium-independent fashion (2) cadherins (CADs), which bind in a calcium-dependent manner and (3) other molecules (see below reviewed in Edelman and Crossin, 1991). 

Ranscht, B. Bronner-Fraser, M. (1991). T-cadherin expression alternates with migrating neural crest cells in the trunk of... 

Cowin P, Rowlands TM, Hatsell SJ (2005) Cadherins and catenins in breast cancer. Curr Opin Cell Biol 17 499-508 Crnic I, Strittmatter K, Cavallaro U et al (2004) Loss of neural cell adhesion molecule induces tumor metastasis by up-regulating lymphangiogenesis. Cancer Res 64 8630-8638... 

Doherty, P., Ashton, S. V., Skaper, S. D., Leon, A., and Walsh, F. S., 1992, Ganglioside modulation of neural cell adhesion molecule and N-cadherin-dependent neurite outgrowth, J. Cell Biol. 117 1093-1099. 

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