Preprints (www.preprints.org) | NOT PEER-REVIEWED | Posted: 2 October 2020 doi:10.20944/preprints202010.0037.v1 Review The central role of cadherins in gonad development, reproduction and fertility Rafal P. Piprek 1,*, Malgorzata Kloc 2,3,4, Paulina Mizia 1 and Jacek Z. Kubiak 5,6,* 1 Department of Comparative Anatomy, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 9, 30-387 Krakow, Poland; e-mail
[email protected] (R.P.P.),
[email protected] (P.M.) 2 The Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX 77030, USA; e-mail
[email protected] 3 Department of Surgery, The Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA 4 MD Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas, Houston, TX 77030, USA 5 UnivRennes, UMR 6290 CNRS/UR1, Institute of Genetics and Development of Rennes, Cycle Group, Faculty of Medicine, F-35000 Rennes, France; e-mail
[email protected] 6 Department of Regenerative Medicine and Cell Biology, Military Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (WIHE), 01-163 Warsaw, Poland * Correspondence:
[email protected]; +330612253086 (J.Z.K)
[email protected]; Tel.: +48126645059 (R.P.P.) Abstract: Cadherins are a group of membrane proteins responsible for cell adhesion. They are crucial for cell sorting and recognition during the morphogenesis, but also play many other roles such as assuring tissue integrity and resistance to stretching, mechanotransduction, cell signaling, regulation of cell proliferation, apoptosis, survival, carcinogenesis, etc. Within the cadherin superfamily, the E- and N-cadherin have been especially well studied. They are involved in many aspects of sexual development and reproduction, such as germline development and gametogenesis, gonad development and functioning, and fertilization.