NCAM2
NCAM2
Neuronal Cell Adhesion Molecule 2 (NCAM2) belongs to a family of cell adhesion molecules which control the attachement of cells to neighboring cells through homophilic trans-interactions or to components fo teh extracellular matrix through heterophilic interactions. They can also modulate intracellular signal transduction cascades and cytoskeleton organization. 1
NCAM2 is highly expressed in specific areas of the olfactory system and may be involved in many neurological diseases such as Down syndrome and autism. It is also expressed in many regions of the central nervous system and other tissues. 2It has been suggested that over-expression of NCAM2 may be a contributing factor to the symptoms of Down syndrome, but a mouse model of this disease suggests that expression levels of NCAM2 may be unrelated to NCAM2 development.3
The relationship between NCAM2 and autism has not been studied in detail
References
1. Kulahin N et. al. The Neural Cell Adhesion Molecule NCAM2/OCAM/RNCAM, a Close Relative to NCAM.Neurochem Res. 2008 Mar 27 PMID 18368488
2. Paoloni-Giacobino A et. al. Cloning of a novel human neural cell adhesion molecule gene (NCAM2) that maps to chromosome region 21q21 and is potentially involved in Down syndrome. Genomics. 1997 Jul 1;43(1):43-51. PMID 9226371
3.Akeson EC et. al. Ts65Dn -- localization of the translocation breakpoint and trisomic gene content in a mouse model for Down syndrome. Cytogenet Cell Genet. 2001;93(3-4):270-6. PMID 11528125
