Cadherine

Author: Prof. Dr. med. Peter Altmeyer

Last updated on: 16.01.2024

Definition
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Cadherins (from the English "calcium adhering", like "Ca-adherins") are a large group of phylogenetic old, calcium-binding, transmembrane glycoproteins from the group of adhesion molecules, which cause cell contacts ( desmosomes) in different tissues.

General information
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Cadherins play a role in the stabilization of cell-cell contacts (cell adhesion), embryonic morphogenesis, the maintenance of cell polarity and signal transduction. Cadherins are expressed in almost all vertebrate and invertebrate cells (e.g. E-cadherin in epithelia, VE-cadherin in endothelia, N-cadherin in nerve cells, P-cadherin in placenta and epidermis). Their distribution is diffuse over the cell surface and condensed via adherens organelles (desmosomes). The cadherins desmocollin and desmoglein are components of tight junctions and desmosomes and interact with intermediate filaments of the cytoskeleton (see cytoskeleton below) as well as components of desmosomal plaques (desmoplakin, plakophilin, plakoglobin).

Cadherins play a pathogenetically significant role in acantholytic immune and genodermatoses, e.g. in hypotrichosis congenita with juvenile macular degeneration and dyskeratosis follicularis. See below pemphigus vulgaris, see below pemphigus antibodies. For example, the function and expression of cadherins is lost in cancerous cells, or cadherins other than those physiologically present are expressed (cadherin shift). As a result, cells can detach from the tumor and metastasize.

Literature
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Amagai M (2003) Desmoglein as a target in autoimmunity and infection. J Am Acad Dermatol 48: 244-252
Hofmann S et al (2002) The tumour necrosis factor-alpha induced vascular permeability is associated with a reduction of VE-cadherin expression. Eur J Med Res 7: 171-176
Jamora MJ et al (2003) Antibodies to desmoglein 1 and 3, and the clinical phenotype of pemphigus vulgaris. J Am Acad Dermatol 48: 976-977
Kovacs A et al (2004) Immunohistochemical examination of P-cadherin in bullous and acantholytic skin diseases. Acta Derm Venereol 84: 116-119
Lampugnani MG et al (2002) VE-cadherin regulates endothelial actin activating Rac and increasing membrane association of Tiam. Mol Biol Cell 13: 1175-1189
Parlowsky T et al (2003) Neonatal pemphigus vulgaris: IgG4 autoantibodies to desmoglein 3 induce skin blisters in newborns. J Am Acad Dermatol 48: 623-625
Stefansson IM et al (2004) Prognostic impact of alterations in P-cadherin expression and related cell adhesion markers in endometrial cancer. J Clin Oncol 22: 1242-1252
Wakita H et al (2003) Aberrant suprabasal P-cadherin expression in acanthotic but not psoriatic thickened epidermis. Arch Dermatol Res 295 (Suppl 1): S71-74
Whittock NV et al (2003) Targeting of desmoglein 1 in inherited and acquired skin diseases. Clin Exp Dermatol 28: 410-415

Tables
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	loci of frequent expression	Cellular localization	Functions/meaning/comment
Classic Cadherins
E-cadherin (epithelial cadherin)	Epithelia, epidermis (corneocytes of all layers, melanocytes)	Adherens-Junctions*	Reduced expression or expression of defective E-cadherin can lead to lethal progressions in the blastocyst stage of embryonic development and has been demonstrated in invasively growing tumors (breast carcinoma, gastric carcinoma, pancreatic carcinoma, prostate carcinoma). Postnatal lack of E-cadherin is associated with increasing loss of hair follicles and epidermal hyperproliferation.
N-cadherin (neural cadherin)	neurons, heart, skeletal muscle, lens, proximal tubule of the kidney, vascular endothelia	Adherens-Junctions*, Synapses	Reduced expression or expression of defective N-cadherin can lead to lethal processes in embryonic development. Postnatally reduced expression of defective N-cadherin is associated with heart defects. Upregulation of N-cadherin expression is observed in invasively growing tumors (breast carcinoma), often associated with reduced E-cadherin expression ("cadherin shift").
P-cadherin (placental cadherin)	Placenta, epidermis (corneocytes in the stratum basale and suprabasal; melanocytes)	Adherens-Junctions*	Reduced expression or expression of defective P-cadherin can lead to embryonic developmental disorders of the mamma. P-cadherin is increasingly found in endometrial carcinomas and in low-level ("high-grade") breast carcinomas.
VE-cadherin (vascular endothelial cell cadherin)	Endothelial cells	Adherens-Junctions*	Reduced expression or expression of defective VE-cadherin can lead to lethal processes in embryonic development. Key regulatory functions of VE-cadherin include apoptosis regulation of endothelial cells, endothelial cell differentiation, angiogenesis, vascular permeability and vascular remodeling. Reduced expression of VE-cadherin has been described in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy.
R-cadherin (retinal cadherin)	nerves, retina, smooth muscle cells (e.g. in vessel walls)	Adherens-Junctions*	During embryonic development involved in the differentiation of myotomes, nerves, striated and smooth muscles and early glomerulogenesis.
Non-classical cadherins
Desmosomal cadherins (desmocollin I-III, desmoglein I-III)	Skin	Desmosomes	Autoantibody formation against desmocollin and desmoglein have been described in acantholysis (especially pemphigus diseases). The expression of mutated desmosomal cadherins has been described in autosomal dominant inherited palmoplantar keratoses. Desmosomal cadherins are the target of staphylococcal staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome and pemphigus foliaceus.
*Adherens-Junctions = Zonulae adherentes