title: Evolution and diversity of cadherins and catenins.
abstract: Cadherin genes encode a superfamily of conserved transmembrane proteins that share an adhesive ectodomain composed of tandem cadherin repeats. More than 100 human cadherin superfamily members have been identified, which can be classified into three families: major cadherins, protocadherins and cadherin-related proteins. These superfamily members are involved in diverse fundamental cellular processes including cell-cell adhesion, morphogenesis, cell recognition and signaling. Epithelial cadherin (E-cadherin) is the founding cadherin family member. Its cytoplasmic tail interacts with the armadillo catenins, p120 and β-catenin. Further, α-catenin links the cadherin/armadillo catenin complex to the actin filament network. Even genomes of ancestral metazoan species such as cnidarians and placozoans encode a limited number of distinct cadherins and catenins, emphasizing the conservation and functional importance of these gene families. Moreover, a large expansion of the cadherin and catenin families coincides with the emergence of vertebrates and reflects a major functional diversification in higher metazoans. Here, we revisit and review the functions, phylogenetic classifications and co-evolution of the cadherin and catenin protein families.
authors.affiliation: Center for Inflammation Research, VIB, Ghent, Belgium; Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Ismail Sahin
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Gul
authors.affiliation: Center for Inflammation Research, VIB, Ghent, Belgium; Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Paco
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hulpiau
authors.affiliation: Center for Inflammation Research, VIB, Ghent, Belgium; Department of Internal Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Yvan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Saeys
authors.affiliation: Center for Inflammation Research, VIB, Ghent, Belgium; Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium. Electronic address: frans.vanroy@ugent.be.
authors.forename: Frans
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: van Roy
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015820:Cadherins / Q000378:metabolism*; D051177:Catenins / Q000378:metabolism*; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000502:physiology*; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism*; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D009024:Morphogenesis / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D015820:Cadherins; D051177:Catenins; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins
keywords: Armadillo superfamily; Cadherin superfamily; Catenins; Cell adhesion; Molecular evolution; Protocadherins; α-catenin