Cell adhesion
Cell adhesion molecule-related/down-regulated by oncogenes (CDON) is a conserved transmembrane glycoprotein belonging to a subgroup of the immunoglobulin superfamily of cell adhesion molecules. It is highly expressed in both the somites and dorsal lips of the neural tube of embryonic day 8.5 mice. It is expressed in proliferating and differentiating myoblast cell lines, there is evidence showing its role in mediating the effects of cell–cell interactions between muscle precursors that are critical in myogenesis. It is also expressed in neural crest precursor cells, it regulates the localization of N-cadherin providing a mechanism for directed neural crest migration. CDON protein was shown to bind to all three mammalian isoforms of hedgehog proteins: Sonic Hh, Indian Hh, and Desert Hh.