Protocadherin alpha-7 (PCDHA7)

Protocadherin alpha-7 (PCDHA7) is a member of the protocadherin alpha gene cluster within the cadherin superfamily, encoding a neural cell-adhesion protein embedded in the plasma membrane. It mediates calcium-dependent homophilic cell-cell adhesion and is primarily expressed in the brain, where it is thought to play a crucial role in establishing and maintaining specific neuronal connections and enabling neuronal self-recognition and discrimination between self and non-self. This may create unique cell-surface identities for individual neurons, essential for proper neural circuit assembly. Structural features include six extracellular cadherin repeats and a cytoplasmic domain encoded by cluster-shared constant exons. Genetic variation in PCDHA7 is associated with neurodevelopmental disorders, especially autism spectrum disorder. No drugs are directly known to target PCDHA7, and its function is mainly structural and organizational rather than enzymatic or signal-transducing in the classical pharmacological sense.

Other names

CNR4CNRN4CNRS4CRNR4PCDH-ALPHA7PCDH-alpha-7KIAA0345-like 7ortholog to mouse CNR4Protocadherin alpha 7