Patent ID: 6914044

Claim:
A method for modulating cell adhesion, comprising contacting a cadherin-expressing cell with an antibody that binds to a cyclic peptide that comprises the sequence His-Ala-Val and modulates cadherin-mediated cell adhesion wherein the cyclic peptide has the formula: wherein X 1 , and X 2 are optional, and if present, are independently selected from the group consisting of amino acid residues and combinations thereof in which the residues are linked by peptide bonds, and wherein X 1 and X 2 independently range in size from 0 to 10 residues, such that the sum of residues contained within X 1 and X 2 ranges from 1 to 12; wherein Y 1 and Y 2 are independently selected from the group consisting of amino acid residues, and wherein a covalent bond is formed between residues Y 1 and Y 2 ; and wherein Z 1 and Z 2 are optional, and if present, are independently selected from the group consisting of amino acid residues and combinations thereof in which the residues are linked by peptide bonds.