Protocadherin Gamma C3 (PCDHgC3)

PCDHGC3 is 1 of 22 tandemly arranged genes within the PCDHG gene cluster on chromosome 5q31. The 22 PCDHG genes function as 'variable' exons that are individually spliced to a downstream constant region to form distinct PCDHG transcripts. The variable PCDHG exons encode the extracellular and transmembrane domains of the protocadherin protein, and the common region encodes the intracellular domain. Like pc42, human pc43 contains an N-terminal extracellular domain, a transmembrane domain, and a C-terminal cytoplasmic region. On Western blots of extracts of a human neuroblastoma cell line, pc43 migrated at 150 kD. Immunofluorescence microscopy localized pc43 to the periphery of cells, primarily in cell-cell contact sites. Cells expressing pc43 showed cell aggregation activity.