Cadherins

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Proteins found on the surface of cells that bind to identical proteins on neighboring cells, using calcium ions to hold tissues together
2. Calcium-dependent membrane glycoproteins that allow cells of the same type to stick to one another and form organized tissues
3. Surface molecules in animal cells that mediate adhesion between like cells, helping to build and maintain the structure of tissues

Etymology: Cadherins are named for what they do rather than for any older word. The name is a blend of "calcium-dependent adhesion molecules," a descriptive phrase that spells out the two key facts about these proteins: they hold cells together, and they need calcium ions to do it. The shortened form "cadherin" was then built by taking the first letters of the main elements, so the word is a clipped coinage rather than something inherited from Latin or Greek. The ending "-in" is the familiar suffix chemists and biologists attach to protein and molecule names, as in "insulin" or "keratin." Adding it marks the term as a protein family name. "Cadherins" is simply the plural, referring to the whole group of related molecules, which share a similar calcium-binding structure and appear in many kinds of animal tissue.