J. Cardiovasc. Dev. Dis. 2014, 1(1), 111-120; doi:10.3390/jcdd1010111
The Ig CAM CAR is Implicated in Cardiac Development and Modulates Electrical Conduction in the Mature Heart
Max-Delbrück-Centrum für Molekulare Medizin, Robert-Rössle-Str. 10, 13092 Berlin, Germany
†
Present address: Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus University Medical Center, P.O. Box 2040, NL-3000 CA, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 31 January 2014 / Revised: 30 April 2014 / Accepted: 6 May 2014 / Published: 21 May 2014
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Highlights of the 2013 Berlin Meeting of the ESC working group on Development, Anatomy and Pathology)
Abstract
The coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor (CAR, CXADR) is a multi-functional cell adhesion molecule which forms with CLMP, BT-IgSF, ESAM and CTX a structural subgroup within the Ig superfamily. These proteins share an overall domain organization with two extracellular Ig domains, a transmembrane region and a cytoplasmic tail which includes a PDZ binding motif. CAR is strongly expressed in brain and heart during embryonic development and becomes down-regulated in early postnatal stages. Cell adhesion experiments, binding studies and as well as crystallographic investigations on the extracellular domain reveal a flexible ectodomain for CAR that mediates homophilic and heterophilic binding. Several animal models showed an essential role for CAR during embryonic heart development and for electrical conduction between neighboring cardiomyocytes at mature stages. CAR gets re-expressed in diseased or damaged cardiac tissue, probably to induce regeneration and remodeling of the cardiac muscle.Keywords:
CAR; cell adhesion; IgCAM; cardiac development; electrical conduction
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 3.0).
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Matthäus, C.; Schreiber, J.; Jüttner, R.; Rathjen, F.G. The Ig CAM CAR is Implicated in Cardiac Development and Modulates Electrical Conduction in the Mature Heart. J. Cardiovasc. Dev. Dis. 2014, 1, 111-120.
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J. Cardiovasc. Dev. Dis.
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