Recent progress in T-cadherin (CDH13, H-cadherin) research

T-cadherin is a unique cadherin cell adhesion molecule that is anchored to the cell surface membrane through a glycosyl phosphatidyl inositol (GPI) moiety. The cytoplasmic domain, which T-cadherin lacks, is believed to be critical for homophilic binding through interaction with submembrane cytoskeletal proteins. Does this mean that T-cadherin is an unimportant molecule? However, the T-cadherin amino acid motif has been well conserved through evolution in vertebrates, suggesting that T-cadherin may have biological significance in higher animals. Consistent with this hypothesis, recent studies have thrown light on the relevance of T-cadherin in the fields of oncology, neurology, respirology and cardiovascular physiology. In this manuscript, we review current advances in T-cadherin research.