Cadherins are a family of transmembrane glycoproteins that mediate calcium-dependent cell-cell adhesion and play an important role in the maintenance of normal tissue architecture. CDH13 (Cadherin 13, also known as H-cadherin or T-cadherin) is an atypical member of cadherin family, lacking transmembrane and cytosolic domains and anchored to the exterior surface of the plasma membrane via a GPI anchor. CDH13 is thought to affect cellular behavior largely through its signaling properties. It is highly expressed in heart, and in the CNS, CDH13 is expressed in cerebral cortex, medulla, hippocampus, amygdala, thalamus and substantia nigra. It is often down-regulated in cancerous cells. The CDH13 cDNA encodes a 713-amino acid protein, which has a calculated molecular weight of 78 kDa. Studies have detected variable bands on Western blots, including 105 kDa (mature form), 130 kDa (precursor), and 45 kDa, which may be a post-translational processing variant of CDH13 (PMID: 19399994).