In molecular biology, the cadherin cytoplasmic region is a conserved region found at the C-terminus of cadherin

Cadherin

Cadherins are a class of type-1 transmembrane proteins. They play important roles in cell adhesion, ensuring that cells within tissues are bound together. They are dependent on calcium ions to function, hence their name.The cadherin superfamily includes cadherins, protocadherins, desmogleins, and...

 proteins. A key determinant to the strength of the binding that it is mediated by cadherins is the juxtamembrane region (the part of the cytoplasmic region which is adjacent to the transmembrane domain) of the cadherin. This region induces clustering and also binds to the protein

Protein

Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...

 catenin

Catenin

Catenins are proteins found in complexes with cadherin cell adhesion molecules of animal cells. The first two catenins that were identified became known as alpha-catenin and beta-catenin. Alpha-catenin can bind to beta-catenin and can also bind actin. Beta-catenin binds the cytoplasmic domain of...

 (p120ctn). The cytoplasmic

Cytoplasm

The cytoplasm is a small gel-like substance residing between the cell membrane holding all the cell's internal sub-structures , except for the nucleus. All the contents of the cells of prokaryote organisms are contained within the cytoplasm...

 region is highly conserved in sequence

Sequence (biology)

A sequence in biology is the one-dimensional ordering of monomers, covalently linked within in a biopolymer; it is also referred to as the primary structure of the biological macromolecule.-See also:* Protein sequence* DNA sequence...

 and has been shown experimentally to regulate the cell-cell binding function of the extracellular

Extracellular

In cell biology, molecular biology and related fields, the word extracellular means "outside the cell". This space is usually taken to be outside the plasma membranes, and occupied by fluid...

 domain of E-cadherin, possibly through interaction with the cytoskeleton

Cytoskeleton

The cytoskeleton is a cellular "scaffolding" or "skeleton" contained within a cell's cytoplasm and is made out of protein. The cytoskeleton is present in all cells; it was once thought to be unique to eukaryotes, but recent research has identified the prokaryotic cytoskeleton...

.