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. 1995 Mar 23;374(6520):327-37.
doi: 10.1038/374327a0.

Structural basis of cell-cell adhesion by cadherins

L Shapiro  1 , A M Fannon, P D Kwong, A Thompson, M S Lehmann, G Grübel, J F Legrand, J Als-Nielsen, D R Colman, W A Hendrickson
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Structural basis of cell-cell adhesion by cadherins

L Shapiro et al. Nature. .

Abstract

Crystal structures of the amino-terminal domain of N-cadherin provide a picture at the atomic level of a specific adhesive contact between cells. A repeated set of dimer interfaces is common to the structure in three lattices. These interactions combine to form a linear zipper of molecules that mirrors the linear structure of the intracellular filaments with which cadherins associate. This cell-adhesion zipper may provide a mechanism to marshal individual molecular adhesive interactions into strong bonds between cells.

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