MCAM
Description
The MCAM (melanoma cell adhesion molecule) is a protein-coding gene located on chromosome 11.
CD146 (cluster of differentiation 146), also known as melanoma cell adhesion molecule (MCAM) or cell surface glycoprotein MUC18, is a 113kDa cell adhesion molecule used as a marker for endothelial cell lineage. In humans, the CD146 protein is encoded by the MCAM gene. MCAM functions as a receptor for laminin alpha 4, a matrix molecule broadly expressed within the vascular wall. Accordingly, MCAM is highly expressed by cells within the blood vessel wall, including vascular endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells and pericytes. Its function is still poorly understood, but evidence suggests it is part of the endothelial junction associated with the actin cytoskeleton. A member of the Immunoglobulin superfamily, it consists of five Ig domains, a transmembrane domain, and a cytoplasmic region. It is expressed on chicken embryonic spleen and thymus, activated human T cells, endothelial progenitors such as angioblasts and mesenchymal stem cells, and strongly expressed on blood vessel endothelium and smooth muscle. Two isoforms exist (MCAM long (MCAM-1), and MCAM short, or MCAM-s) which differ in the length of their cytoplasmic domain. Activation of these isoforms seems to produce functional differences as well. Natural killer cells transfected with MCAM-1 demonstrate decreased rolling velocity and increased cell adhesion to an endothelial cell monolayer and increased microvilli formation while cells transfected with MCAM-s showed no change in adhesion characteristics.
MCAM is also known as CD146, HEMCAM, METCAM, MUC18, MelCAM.
Associated Diseases
- cancer
- breast cancer
- nonpapillary renal cell carcinoma
- glioblastoma
- Pallister-Hall syndrome
- bronchopulmonary dysplasia
