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NRCAM

Neuronal cell adhesion molecule is a protein that in humans is encoded by the NRCAM gene.[1][2]

Cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) are members of the immunoglobulin superfamily. This gene encodes a neuronal cell adhesion molecule with multiple immunoglobulin-like C2-type domains and fibronectin type-III domains. This ankyrin-binding protein is involved in neuron-neuron adhesion and promotes directional signaling during axonal cone growth. This gene is also expressed in non-neural tissues and may play a general role in cell-cell communication via signaling from its intracellular domain to the actin cytoskeleton during directional cell migration. Allelic variants of this gene have been associated with autism[3] and addiction vulnerability. Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants encoding different isoforms.[2]

References

References

  1. Lane RP, Chen XN, Yamakawa K, Vielmetter J, Korenberg JR, Dreyer WJ (Dec 1996). “Characterization of a highly conserved human homolog to the chicken neural cell surface protein Bravo/Nr-CAM that maps to chromosome band 7q31”. Genomics. 35 (3): 456–65. doi:10.1006/geno.1996.0385. PMID 8812479.
  2. 2.0 2.1 “Entrez Gene: NRCAM neuronal cell adhesion molecule”.
  3. Marui T, Funatogawa I, Koishi S, et al. (2008). “Association of the neuronal cell adhesion molecule (NRCAM) gene variants with autism”. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol. 12 (1): 1–10. doi:10.1017/S1461145708009127. PMID 18664314.
Further reading

Further reading



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