This gene encodes a type II classical cadherin of the cadherin superfamily. Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants, at least one of which encodes a preproprotein that is proteolytically processed to generate the mature glycoprotein. This calcium dependent cell-cell adhesion molecule is comprised of five extracellular cadherin repeats, a transmembrane region and a highly conserved cytoplasmic tail. Type II (atypical) cadherins are defined based on their lack of a histidine-alanine-valine (HAV) cell adhesion recognition sequence specific to type I cadherins. Cadherins mediate cell-cell binding in a homophilic manner, contributing to the sorting of heterogeneous cell types. Mutations in this gene may be associated with bipolar disease in human patients. This gene is present in a gene cluster on chromosome 18. [provided by RefSeq, May 2016].