Background of the antigen
Cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) influence cell growth, differentiation, embryogenesis, immune response and cancer metastasis by networking information from the extracellular matrix to the cell. The four major families of cell adhesion molecules are immunoglobulin (Ig) superfamily (calcium-independent transmembrane glycoproteins), integrins (transmembrane non-covalently linked heterodimers of Alpha and Beta subunits), calcium-dependent cadherins and divalent cation-dependent selectins. Regulation of neuronal synaptic adhesion by CAMs has proven important for learning and memory. Proper embryonic morphogenic development is also heavily dependent on the regulation of cell adhesion molecules. Neurotrimin (hNT) is a neural cell adhesion molecule localizing to the cell membrane, where it acts as a lipid-anchor. Neurotrimin belongs to the IgLON family of proteins, a member of the larger immunoglobulin superfamily.
