Abstract
Crystal structures of the amino-terminal domain of N-cadherin provide a picture at the atomic level of a specific adhesive contact between cells. A repeated set of dimer interfaces is common to the structure in three lattices. These interactions combine to form a linear zipper of molecules that mirrors the linear structure of the intracellular filaments with which cadherins associate. This cell-adhesion zipper may provide a mechanism to marshal individual molecular adhesive interactions into strong bonds between cells.
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Shapiro, L., Fannon, A., Kwong, P. et al. Structural basis of cell-cell adhesion by cadherins. Nature 374, 327–337 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1038/374327a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/374327a0
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