CDH12 explained

Cadherin-12 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the CDH12 gene.^{[1] [2]}

This gene encodes a type II classical cadherin from the cadherin superfamily of integral membrane proteins that mediate calcium-dependent cell-cell adhesion. Mature cadherin proteins are composed of a large N-terminal extracellular domain, a single membrane-spanning domain, and a small, highly conserved C-terminal cytoplasmic domain. Type II (atypical) cadherins are defined based on their lack of an HAV cell adhesion recognition sequence specific to type I cadherins. This particular cadherin appears to be expressed specifically in the brain and its temporal pattern of expression would be consistent with a role during a critical period of neuronal development, perhaps specifically during synaptogenesis.

Further reading

• Jean Weissenbach . Jean Weissenbach . Gyapay G . Dib C . A second-generation linkage map of the human genome . Nature . 359 . 6398 . 794–801 . 1992 . 1436057 . 10.1038/359794a0 . 1992Natur.359..794W . 4331117 . etal.
• Suzuki S, Sano K, Tanihara H . Diversity of the cadherin family: evidence for eight new cadherins in nervous tissue . Cell Regul. . 2 . 4 . 261–70 . 1991 . 2059658 . 10.1091/mbc.2.4.261. 361775 .
• Gyapay G, Morissette J, Vignal A . The 1993-94 Généthon human genetic linkage map . Nat. Genet. . 7 . 2 Spec No . 246–339 . 1994 . 7545953 . 10.1038/ng0694supp-246 . 24662426 . etal.
• Tanihara H, Sano K, Heimark RL . Cloning of five human cadherins clarifies characteristic features of cadherin extracellular domain and provides further evidence for two structurally different types of cadherin . Cell Adhes. Commun. . 2 . 1 . 15–26 . 1995 . 7982033 . 10.3109/15419069409014199 . etal.
• Selig S, Lidov HG, Bruno SA . Molecular characterization of Br-cadherin, a developmentally regulated, brain-specific cadherin . Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. . 94 . 6 . 2398–403 . 1997 . 9122206 . 10.1073/pnas.94.6.2398 . 20099 . 1997PNAS...94.2398S . etal. free .
• Kremmidiotis G, Baker E, Crawford J . Localization of human cadherin genes to chromosome regions exhibiting cancer-related loss of heterozygosity . Genomics . 49 . 3 . 467–71 . 1998 . 9615235 . 10.1006/geno.1998.5281 . etal.
• Chalmers IJ, Höfler H, Atkinson MJ . Mapping of a cadherin gene cluster to a region of chromosome 5 subject to frequent allelic loss in carcinoma . Genomics . 57 . 1 . 160–3 . 1999 . 10191097 . 10.1006/geno.1998.5717 .
• Shimoyama Y, Tsujimoto G, Kitajima M, Natori M . Identification of three human type-II classic cadherins and frequent heterophilic interactions between different subclasses of type-II classic cadherins . Biochem. J. . 349 . Pt 1 . 159–67 . 2001 . 10861224 . 10.1042/0264-6021:3490159 . 1221133 .
• Strausberg RL, Feingold EA, Grouse LH . Generation and initial analysis of more than 15,000 full-length human and mouse cDNA sequences . Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. . 99 . 26 . 16899–903 . 2003 . 12477932 . 10.1073/pnas.242603899 . 139241 . 2002PNAS...9916899M . etal. free .
• Ota T, Suzuki Y, Nishikawa T . Complete sequencing and characterization of 21,243 full-length human cDNAs . Nat. Genet. . 36 . 1 . 40–5 . 2004 . 14702039 . 10.1038/ng1285 . etal. free .

Notes and References

1. Selig S, Bruno S, Scharf JM, Wang CH, Vitale E, Gilliam TC, Kunkel LM . Expressed cadherin pseudogenes are localized to the critical region of the spinal muscular atrophy gene . Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A . 92 . 9 . 3702–6 . Jun 1995 . 7731968 . 42029 . 10.1073/pnas.92.9.3702 . 1995PNAS...92.3702S . free .
2. Web site: Entrez Gene: CDH12 cadherin 12, type 2 (N-cadherin 2).