Clustered protocadherin family
Abstract
The brain is a complex system composed of enormous numbers of differentiated neurons, and brain structure and function differs among vertebrates. To examine the molecular mechanisms underlying brain structure and function, it is important to identify the molecules involved in generating neural diversity and organization. The clustered protocadherin (Pcdh) family is the largest subgroup of the diverse cadherin superfamily. The clustered Pcdh proteins are predominantly expressed in the brain and their gene structures in vertebrates are diversified. In mammals, the clustered Pcdh family consists of three gene clusters: Pcdh-alpha, Pcdh-beta, and Pcdh-gamma. During brain development, this family is upregulated by neuronal differentiation, and Pcdh-alpha is then dramatically downregulated by myelination. Clustered Pcdh expression continues in the olfactory bulb, hippocampus, and cerebellum until adulthood. Structural analysis of the first cadherin domain of the Pcdh-alpha protein revealed it lacks the features that classical cadherins require for homophilic adhesiveness, but it contains Pcdh-specific loop structures. In Pcdh-alpha, an RGD motif on a specific loop structure binds beta1-integrin. For gene expression, the gene clusters...Continue Reading
References
{gamma}-Protocadherins, presenilin-mediated release of C-terminal fragment promotes locus expression
Citations
Hypermethylation of the polycomb group target gene PCDH7 in bladder tumors from patients of all ages
CTCF is required for neural development and stochastic expression of clustered Pcdh genes in neurons
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