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Soluble P-Cadherin Found in Human Semen

ALEJANDRO PERALTA SOLER

KAREN A. KNUDSEN

From ^* Centro de Microscopía Electrónica, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Argentina; and The Lankenau Institute for Medical Research, Wynnewood, Pennsylvania.

Correspondence to: Alejandro Peralta Soler, Lankenau Institute for Medical Research, 100 Lancaster Avenue, Wynnewood, PA 19096 (e-mail: rossinol{at}mlhs.org).

Cadherins constitute a family of calcium-dependent cell-cell adhesion molecules. P (placental)-cadherin is a 118-kd protein expressed by basal cells in epithelial tissues. P-cadherin also has been described as a soluble protein in certain biological fluids, including human serum and breast milk. Here, we report the presence of an 80-kD fragment of P-cadherin in human semen. No significant differences were found in semen samples from fertile and nonfertile patients. Our results add evidence to previous data indicating that soluble fragments of P-cadherin have a widespread distribution in bodily fluids and suggest that soluble P-cadherin might have functions other than basal epithelial cell-cell adhesion.

     Key words: Cadherins, seminal fluid, cell-cell adhesion