Ksp-cadherin is a functional cell–cell adhesion molecule related to LI-cadherin

Ksp- and LI-cadherin are structurally homologous proteins coexpressed with E-cadherin in renal and intestinal epithelia, respectively. Whereas LI-cadherin has been shown to mediate Ca2+-dependent homotypic cell-cell adhesion independent of stable interactions with the cytoskeleton, little is known about the physiological role of Ksp-cadherin. To analyze its potential adhesive and morphoregulatory functions, we expressed murine Ksp-cadherin in CHO cells. In this report, we show that Ksp-cadherin induces homotypic and Ca2+-dependent cell-cell adhesion that can be specifically blocked with antibodies raised against the cadherin repeats EC1 and EC2. Ksp-cadherin mediates about the same quantitative adhesive effect (aggregation index) as LI- and E-cadherin. However, the cellular phenotype induced by Ksp-cadherin resembles more closely that of LI- than E-cadherin. This could reflect our observation, that Ksp-cadherin, as well as LI-cadherin, does not directly interact with beta-catenin. In conclusion, both cadherins are thus not only structurally but also functionally related and may share other functions within their respective epithelia.