Structure and Function of the Neural Cell Adhesion Molecule NCAM

Adhesive interactions are important for cell trafficking, differentiation, function and tissue formation. In the nervous system, many cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) are involved in migration of neuroblasts, outgrowth and fasciculation of neuronal processes, formation of synapses and rearrangements of synaptic contacts associated with plasticity including learning and memory. More than eighty CAMs were found to be localized at synaptic sites, where they bridge pre- and postsynaptic specializ...