First Author | Wu Q | Year | 1999 |
Journal | Cell | Volume | 97 |
Issue | 6 | Pages | 779-90 |
PubMed ID | 10380929 | Mgi Jnum | J:86878 |
Mgi Id | MGI:2682323 | Doi | 10.1016/s0092-8674(00)80789-8 |
Citation | Wu Q, et al. (1999) A striking organization of a large family of human neural cadherin-like cell adhesion genes. Cell 97(6):779-90 |
abstractText | We have identified 52 novel human cadherin-like genes organized into three closely linked clusters. Comparison of the genomic DNA sequences with those of representative cDNAs reveals a striking genomic organization similar to that of immunoglobulin and T cell receptor gene clusters. The N-terminal extracellular and transmembrane domains of each cadherin protein are encoded by a distinct and unusually large exon. These exons are organized in a tandem array. By contrast, the C-terminal cytoplasmic domain of each protein is identical and is encoded by three small exons located downstream from the cluster of N-terminal exons. This unusual organization has interesting implications regarding the molecular code required to establish complex networks of neuronal connections in the brain and the mechanisms of cell-specific cadherin-like gene expression. |