Cell binding specificity of mouse R-cadherin and chromosomal mapping of the gene.
R-cadherin was originally identified as a chicken cadherin expressed by the retina. Here, we describe the identification of a mouse homologue of R-cadherin. We isolated mouse cDNAs encoding a cadherin with 94% identity in amino acid sequence to the chicken R-cadherin, and defined this molecule as mouse R-cadherin. L cells transfected with the mouse R-cadherin cDNA acquired a cadherin-mediated cell-cell adhesiveness as found for other cadherins. To examine the binding specificity of mouse R-cadherin, L cells expressing this cadherin (mRL) were mixed with L cells expressing chicken R-cadherin (cRL), mouse N-cadherin (mNL), mouse E-cadherin (mEL) and mouse P-cadherin (mPL). While mRL cells randomly intermixed with cRL cells, those cells aggregated separately from mEL or mPL cells. Mixing of mRL with mNL cells gave an intermediate result; that is, they formed both separate and chimeric aggregates, suggesting that R- and N-cadherin can interact with each other although each has a preference to bind to its own type. Similar properties were previously found for chicken R-cadherin. Thus, the cell binding specificity of R-cadherin is entirely conserved between the two species, suggesting a conserved role for this protein in morphogenesis. We also located the mouse R-cadherin gene to chromosome 2.
Matsunami
H
H
Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Science, Kyoto University, Japan.
Miyatani
S
S
Inoue
T
T
Copeland
N G
NG
Gilbert
D J
DJ
Jenkins
N A
NA
Takeichi
M
M
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D015820:Cadherins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D002645:Chickens / Q000235:genetics; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics; D005796:Genes; D007739:L Cells; D051379:Mice / Q000235:genetics*; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009115:Muridae / Q000235:genetics; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013045:Species Specificity
D015820:Cadherins; D018076:DNA, Complementary; C083970:R-cadherin