[PDF] The molecular structure of cell adhesion molecules. | Semantic Scholar

Research into cell adhesion has undergone dramatic evolution, from phenomenological studies of the biophysical and morphological mechanisms used by cells to adhere to other cells and the extracellular matrix to the recent paradigm shift whereby adhesion molecules are now viewed as activators or regulators of a remarkably wide range of signal transduction pathways.

The crystal structure of the two N-terminal extracellular domains of NCAM provides a structural basis for the homophilic interaction and reveals a cross shaped antiparallel dimer, and provides fundamental insight into trans-cellular recognition mediated by NCAM.