Background
This gene encodes an adhesion protein that plays a role in the organization of adherens junctions and tight junctions in epithelial and endothelial cells. The protein is a calcium(2+)-independent cell-cell adhesion molecule that belongs to the immunoglobulin superfamily and has 3 extracellular immunoglobulin-like loops, a single transmembrane domain (in some isoforms), and a cytoplasmic region. This protein acts as a receptor for glycoprotein D (gD) of herpes simplex viruses 1 and 2 (HSV-1, HSV-2), and pseudorabies virus (PRV) and mediates viral entry into epithelial and neuronal cells. Mutations in this gene cause cleft lip and palate/ectodermal dysplasia 1 syndrome (CLPED1) as well as non-syndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL/P). Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants encoding proteins with distinct C-termini.