Component of intercellular desmosome junctions. Involved in the interaction of plaque proteins and intermediate filaments mediating cell-cell adhesion. May contribute to epidermal cell positioning (stratification) by mediating differential adhesiveness between cells that express different isoforms. Stratified epithelia only (epidermis, tongue, esophagus and rumen). Calcium may be bound by the cadherin-like repeats. Three calcium ions are usually bound at the interface of each cadherin domain and rigidify the connections, imparting a strong curvature to the full-length ectodomain.