ArticleslgStudy

biology

VE-cadherin

VE-cadherin is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand VE-cadherin rather than just read about it. In short: Cadherin-5, or VE-cadherin (vascular endothelial cadherin), also known as CD144 (Cluster of Differentiation 144), is a type of cadherin. It is encoded by the human gene CDH5.

VE-cadherin — main illustration
VE-cadherin — illustration

Key takeaways

  • VE-cadherin belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect VE-cadherin to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of VE-cadherin from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Cadherin-5, or VE-cadherin (vascular endothelial cadherin), also known as CD144 (Cluster of Differentiation 144), is a type of cadherin. It is encoded by the human gene CDH5.

Function VE-cadherin is a classical cadherin from the cadherin superfamily and the gene is located in a six-cadherin cluster in a region on the long arm of chromosome 16 that is involved in loss of heterozygosity events in breast and prostate cancer. The encoded protein is a calcium-dependent cell–cell adhesion glycoprotein composed of five extracellular cadherin repeats, a transmembrane region and a highly conserved cytoplasmic tail. Functioning as a classic cadherin by imparting to cells the ability to adhere in a homophilic manner, the protein may play an important role in endothelial cell biology through control of the cohesion and organization of the intercellular junctions. Integrity of intercellular junctions is a major determinant of permeability of the endothelium, and the VE-cadherin-based adherens junction is thought to be particularly important. VE-cadherin is known to be required for maintaining a restrictive endothelial barrier – early studies using blocking antibodies to VE-cadherin increased monolayer permeability in cultured cells and resulted in interstitial edema and hemorrhage in vivo. A recent study has shown that TNFAIP3 (A20, a dual-ubiquitin editing enzyme) is essential for stability and expression of VE-cadherin. Deubiquitinase function of A20 was shown to remove ubiquitin chains from VE-cadherin, thereby prevented loss of VE-cadherin expression at the endothelial adherens junctions. VE-cadherin is indispensable for proper vascular development – there have been two transgenic mouse models of VE-cadherin deficiency, both embryonic lethal due to vascular defects. Further studies using one of these models revealed that although vasculogenesis occurred, nascent vessels collapsed or disassembled in the absence of VE-cadherin. Therefore, it was concluded that VE-cadherin serves the purpose of maintaining newly formed vessels.

Interactions VE-cadherin has been shown to interact with:

Beta-catenin Plakoglobin PTPRB Catenin (cadherin-associated protein), alpha 1 CTNND1 PTPmu (PTPRM) PTPrho (PTPRT)

As a biomarker VE-cadherin may serve as a biomarker for radiation exposure.

See also Vasculogenic Mimicry

References

Further reading

External links VE-cadherin+protein,+human at the U.S. National Library of Medicine Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) CDH5 human gene location in the UCSC Genome Browser. CDH5 human gene details in the UCSC Genome Browser. This article incorporates text from the United States National Library of Medicine, which is in the public domain.

Illustrations

VE-cadherin illustration
VE-cadherin illustration
VE-cadherin illustration
VE-cadherin illustration
VE-cadherin illustration

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with VE-cadherin

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what VE-cadherin claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to VE-cadherin before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about VE-cadherin ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of VE-cadherin

In research
VE-cadherin appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses VE-cadherin in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
VE-cadherin is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Biomarkers, Clusters of differentiation, Genes on human chromosome 16, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for VE-cadherin outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.
Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “VE-cadherin” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study VE-cadherin in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what VE-cadherin means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain VE-cadherin out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is VE-cadherin in simple terms?

Cadherin-5, or VE-cadherin (vascular endothelial cadherin), also known as CD144 (Cluster of Differentiation 144), is a type of cadherin. It is encoded by the human gene CDH5.

Why does VE-cadherin matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study VE-cadherin?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on VE-cadherin.

Tags

  • Biomarkers
  • Clusters of differentiation
  • Genes on human chromosome 16

Keep exploring