This gene belongs to the protocadherin gene family, a subfamily of the cadherin superfamily. The gene encodes an integral membrane protein that is thought to function in cell adhesion in a CNS-specific manner. Unlike classical cadherins, which are generally encoded by 15-17 exons, this gene includes only 3 exons. Notable is the large first exon encoding the extracellular region, including 6 cadherin domains and a transmembrane region. Alternative splicing yields isoforms with unique cytoplasmic tails. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008].
Haeberle, Dudley, Liu, Butte, Contag: "Identification of cell surface targets through meta-analysis of microarray data." in: Neoplasia (New York, N.Y.), Vol. 14, Issue 7, pp. 666-9, (2012) (PubMed).