Title:Exploring the Cardio-metabolic Relevance of T-cadherin: A Pleiotropic Adiponectin Receptor
Volume: 17
Issue: 3
Author(s): Jaime L. Clark, Carla G. Taylor and Peter Zahradka*
Affiliation:
- Canadian Centre for Agri- Food Research in Health and Medicine, St. Boniface Hospital Albrechtsen Research Centre, Winnipeg,Canada
Keywords:
T-cadherin, adiponectin, insulin, low-density lipoprotein, atherosclerosis, insulin resistance.
Abstract: Background and Objective: T-cadherin is a unique member of the cadherin family and is
primarily expressed in the cardiovascular system. T-cadherin has not been abundantly studied, but
the studies conducted to date have explored the impact of this protein on health and the function of
organs involved in metabolic regulation.
Methods: This article examines the recent knowledge of the ligand partners for T-cadherin and the
potential contribution(s) of T-cadherin to cardio-metabolic function.
Result and Discussion: One significant role for T-cadherin is its ability to bind high molecular
weight adiponectin in cardiovascular tissue, thereby mediating the cardio-protective benefits of
adiponectin. It also has the ability to bind low-density lipoprotein via its glycosylphosphatidylinositol
anchor; however, the exact physiological consequence of this ligand-receptor relationship is not
known. T-cadherin appears to affect multiple conditions of cardio-metabolic disease, including
atherosclerosis and insulin resistance. Research into T-cadherin has suggested that it may be useful
as a diagnostic marker for the early stages of cardiovascular disease. However, with regard to insulin,
T-cadherin is necessary for pancreatic insulin secretion, but overexpression of T-cadherin on
vascular cells may promote endothelial insulin resistance.
Conclusion: This review provides evidence that T-cadherin has an influential role on key cardiometabolic
molecules and warrants further investigation.