Cadherin adhesion depends on a salt bridge at the N-terminus

There is now considerable evidence that cell adhesion by cadherins requires a strand exchange process in which the second amino acid at the N-terminus of the cadherin molecule, Trp2, docks into a hydrophobic pocket in the domain fold of the opposing cadherin. Here we show that strand exchange depends on a salt bridge formed between the N-terminal amino group of one cadherin molecule and the acidic side chain of Glu89 of the other. Prevention of this bond in N-cadherin by introducing the mutation Glu89Ala or by extending the N-terminus with additional amino acids strongly inhibited strand exchange. But when the two modifications were present in opposing cadherin molecules respectively, they acted in a complementary manner, lowering activation energy for strand exchange and greatly increasing the strength of the adhesive interaction. N-cadherin that retained an uncleaved prodomain or lacked Trp2 adhered strongly to the Glu89Ala mutant but not to wild-type molecules. Similarly, N-cadherin in which the hydrophobic acceptor pocket was blocked by an isoleucine side chain adhered to a partner that had an extended N-terminus. We explain these results in terms of the free energy changes that accompany strand exchange. Our findings provide new insight into the mechanism of adhesion and demonstrate the feasibility of greatly increasing cadherin affinity.