Different regulation of N-cadherin and cadherin-11 in rat hippocampus

Cadherin-mediated specific cell adhesion is an important process in brain development as well as in synaptic plasticity in the adult brain. In this study the authors quantified mRNA levels of N-cadherin and cadherin-11 in different brain regions for the first time. In hippocampus N-cadherin mRNA levels were very high at embryonic stages and decreased during further development, whereas cadherin-11 mRNA levels were highest at postnatal stages. However, N-cadherin protein level was not altered during hippocampal development and cadherin-11 protein was low at embryonic but high at postnatal and adult stages. In cultured hippocampal neurons both cadherins became colocalized and recruited to synaptic sites during ongoing differentiation, with especially high accumulation of cadherin-11 at synapses. These data hint at a critical role of N-cadherin at early embryonic stages and early synaptogenesis, whereas cadherin-11 might be more important for further stabilization of synapses in the postnatal period and adulthood.