This gene is a member of the cadherin superfamily of genes, encoding calcium-dependent intercellular adhesion glycoproteins. Cadherins consist of an extracellular domain containing 5 cadherin domains, a transmembrane region, and a conserved cytoplasmic domain. Transcripts from this particular cadherin are expressed in myoblasts and upregulated in myotubule-forming cells. The protein is thought to be essential for the control of morphogenetic processes, specifically myogenesis, and may provide a trigger for terminal muscle cell differentiation. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008],disease:A chromosomal aberration involving CDH15 and KIRREL3 is found in a patient with severe mental retardation and dysmorphic facial features. Translocation t(11,16)(q24.2,q24).,disease:Defects in CDH15 are the cause of mental retardation autosomal dominant type 3 (MRD3) [MIM:612580]. Mental retardation is characterized by significantly sub-average general intellectual functioning associated with impairments in adaptative behavior and manifested during the developmental period.,function:Cadherins are calcium dependent cell adhesion proteins. They preferentially interact with themselves in a homophilic manner in connecting cells, cadherins may thus contribute to the sorting of heterogeneous cell types. M-cadherin is part of the myogenic program and may provide a trigger for terminal muscle differentiation.,similarity:Contains 5 cadherin domains.,tissue specificity:Expressed in the brain and cerebellum.,
