VE-cadherin

VE-cadherin is a classical cadherin from the cadherin superfamily and the gene is located in a six-cadherin cluster in a region on the long arm of chromosome 16 that is involved in loss of heterozygosity events in breast and prostate cancer. The encoded protein is a calcium-dependent cell–cell adhesion glycoprotein composed of five extracellular cadherin repeats, a transmembrane region and a highly conserved cytoplasmic tail. Functioning as a classic cadherin by imparting to cells the ability to adhere in a homophilic manner, the protein may play an important role in endothelial cell biology through control of the cohesion and organization of the intercellular junctions.[6]

Integrity of intercellular junctions is a major determinant of permeability of the endothelium, and the VE-cadherin-based adherens junction is thought to be particularly important. VE-cadherin is known to be required for maintaining a restrictive endothelial barrier – early studies using blocking antibodies to VE-cadherin increased monolayer permeability in cultured cells[7] and resulted in interstitial edema and hemorrhage in vivo.[8] A recent study has shown that TNFAIP3 (A20, a dual-ubiquitin editing enzyme) is essential for stability and expression of VE-cadherin. Deubiquitinase function of A20 was shown to remove ubiquitin chains from VE-cadherin, thereby prevented loss of VE-cadherin expression at the endothelial adherens junctions.[9]

VE-cadherin is indispensable for proper vascular development – there have been two transgenic mouse models of VE-cadherin deficiency, both embryonic lethal due to vascular defects.[10][11] Further studies using one of these models revealed that although vasculogenesis occurred, nascent vessels collapsed or disassembled in the absence of VE-cadherin.[12] Therefore, it was concluded that VE-cadherin serves the purpose of maintaining newly formed vessels.

VE-cadherin has been shown to interact with:

• Beta-catenin[13][14]
• Plakoglobin[13][14]
• PTPRB[15]
• Catenin (cadherin-associated protein), alpha 1[13][14]
• CTNND1[16][17]
• PTPmu (PTPRM)[18]
• PTPrho (PTPRT)[19]

VE-cadherin may serve as a biomarker for radiation exposure.[20]

• VE-cadherin+protein,+human at the U.S. National Library of Medicine Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
• CDH5 human gene location in the UCSC Genome Browser.
• CDH5 human gene details in the UCSC Genome Browser.

This article incorporates text from the United States National Library of Medicine, which is in the public domain.