The EC domain (EC stands for extracellular) is the part of a membrane-bound protein that is located outside the cell membrane - i.e. extracellular.
EC domain
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The EC domain faces the extracellular space (e.g. in cell surface proteins). Often contains binding sites for ligands, other cells, antibodies or pathogens. Is often a target in autoimmune diseases (e.g. desmoglein-1 in pemphigus foliaceus).
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Example: Desmoglein-1 (Dsg1) in pemphigus foliaceus
Desmoglein-1 is a transmembrane adhesion protein of the skin(cadherin).
It has several EC domains (EC1-EC5) that protrude extracellularly from the cell.
Autoantibodies in pemphigus foliaceus typically bind to the EC1 or EC2 domain and thereby disrupt cell-cell adhesion, resulting in intraepithelial blistering.