As a subfamily of the cadherin superfamily, protocadherins are cadherin-like cell adhesion proteins that contain up to seven extracellular domains and are predominantly expressed in the nervous system. Importantly, the adhesion mechanism of protocadherins is distinct from classic cadherins. Through inactivation or overexpression, several protocadherins have been implicated in a variety of cancers. PCDH7 (protocadherin 7), also known as BHPCDH or BH-Pcdh, is a 1069 amino acid single-pass I membrane protein that is expressed in the brain and heart. Containing seven cadherin domains, PCDH7 is thought to function in cell-cell recognition and adhesion. PCDH7 exists as three isoforms due to alternative splicing events.
