Rabbit polyclonal antibody to Cadherin~7 (R678)

The cadherins are a family of Ca2+~dependent adhesion molecules that function to mediate cell~cell binding critical to the maintenance of structure and morphogenesis. Cadherins each contain a large extracellular domain at the N~terminus, which is characterized by a series of five homologous repeats, the most distal of which is thought to be responsible for binding specificity. Cadherin~7 is a member of the atypical type II cadherin family that lacks the HAV cell recognition sequence found in type I cadherins. Although the absence of an HAV sequence decreases cell adhesion specificity, cadherin~7 contributes to cell organization by mediating homophilic cell adhesion in the brain, testis and prostate.