Cadherins, such as CDH3, are integral membrane glycoproteins responsible for calcium-dependent cell-cell adhesion. Cadherin-3 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the CDH3 gene. This gene is a classical cadherin from the cadherin superfamily. The encoded protein is a calcium-dependent cell-cell adhesion glycoprotein composed of five extracellular cadherin repeats, a transmembrane region and a highly conserved cytoplasmic tail. This gene is located in a six-cadherin cluster in a region on the long arm of chromosome 16 that is involved in loss of heterozygosity events in breast and prostate cancer. In addition, aberrant expression of this protein is observed in cervical adenocarcinomas. Mutations in this gene have been associated with congential hypotrichosis with juvenile macular dystrophy.