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Cadherins (Calcium dependent adhesion molecules) are a class of transmembrane proteins. They play important roles in cell adhesion, ensuring that cells within tissues are bound together. They are dependent on calcium(Ca2+) ions to function. Mature cadherin proteins are composed of a large N-terminal extracellular domain, a single membrane-spanning domain, and a small highly conserved C-terminal cytoplasmic domain. Type II (atypical) cadherins are defined based on their lack of an HAV cell adhesion recognition sequence specific to type I cadherins. It has been observed that cells containing a specific cadherin subtype tend to cluster together to the exclusion of other types, both in cell culture and during development. Cadherin-5, also known as VE-cadherin, CDH5 and CD144, is single-pass type I membrane protein. It is expressed in endothelial tissues and brain and is involved in loss of heterozygosity events in breast and prostate cancer. CDH5 is a calcium-dependent cell-cell adhesion glycoprotein composed of five extracellular cadherin repeats, a transmembrane region and a highly conserved cytoplasmic tail. Functioning as a classic cadherin by imparting to cells the ability to adhere in a homophilic manner, CDH5 may play an important role in endothelial cell biology through control of the cohesion and organization of the intercellular junctions.