cadherin

Cadherins are a type of cell adhesion molecule (CAM) that is important in the formation of adherens junctions to bind cells with each other.[1] Cadherins are a class of type-1 transmembrane proteins. They are dependent on calcium (Ca2+) ions to function, hence their name. Cell-cell adhesion is mediated by extracellular cadherin domains, whereas the intracellular cytoplasmic tail associates with a large number of adaptor and signaling proteins, collectively referred to as the cadherin adhesome.