CDH2 (cadherin 2, also known as N-cadherin) is a calcium-dependent cell adhesion protein that mediates homotypic cell-cell adhesion through direct dimerization between cells 1. In neural tissues, CDH2 regulates neural stem cell quiescence by anchoring stem cells to ependymocytes, with cleavage by MMP24 modulating this interaction [UniProt]. CDH2 is essential for proper neurite branching, synaptic organization, dendritic spine density regulation, and axon outgrowth promotion [UniProt]. Mechanistically, CDH2 functions through binding to catenin complexes and regulates cortical actin cytoskeleton organization and cell-cell junction assembly [GO annotations]. In Sertoli cells, ALKBH5 regulates CDH2 mRNA translation via m6A modifications to maintain blood-testis barrier integrity 2. Clinically, CDH2 dysregulation associates with multiple pathologies. Elevated CDH2 expression in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis fibroblasts contributes to excessive collagen production; CDH2 knockdown attenuates fibrotic markers 3. In acute leukemia, CDH2-mediated adhesion between leukemic cells and bone marrow niche cells confers chemotherapy resistance 4. CDH2 polymorphism (rs11083271) correlates with osteoarthritis risk, particularly in males 5. Additionally, CDH2 is implicated in anoikis-related pathways in osteoarthritis progression 6 and represents a therapeutic target in adrenocortical carcinoma 7. Germline mutations in CDH2 cause syndromic developmental disorders including agenesis of corpus callosum and arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia.