Protocadherin 24 (PCDH24)

PCDH24 is a member of the protocadherin family, which represents a subset of the larger cadherin superfamily. The members of the protocadherin family encode non-classical cadherins that function as calcium-dependent cell-cell adhesion molecules. This protocadherin represents a new candidate for tumor suppression. Alternatively spliced transcript variants that encode the same protein have been identified. Protocadherins were discovered by Shintaro Suzuki's group, when they used PCR to find new members of the cadherin family. The PCR fragments that corresponded to Protocadherins were found in vertebrate and invertebrate species. This prevalence in a wide range of species suggested that the fragments were part of an ancient cadherin and were thus termed "Protocadherins" as the "first cadherins".