Dachsous 1 (DCHS1)

DCHS1 is a member of the cadherin superfamily whose members encode calcium-dependent cell-cell adhesion molecules. The encoded protein has a signal peptide, 27 cadherin repeat domains and a unique cytoplasmic region. This particular cadherin family member is expressed in fibroblasts but not in melanocytes or keratinocytes. The cell-cell adhesion of fibroblasts is thought to be necessary for wound healing.

Comparisons of the Neandertal genome to the genomes of 5 present-day humans from different parts of the world identified a number of genomic regions that may have been affected by positive selection in ancestral modern humans, including genes involved in metabolism and in cognitive and skeletal development.