Involved in neuronal migration during development of the cerebral neocortex. May function in a cell autonomous and a non-cell autonomous manner and play a role in appropriate adhesion between migrating neurons and radial glial fibers. May also regulate growth and differentiation of dendrites. Homodimer. Interacts with AP2M1; required for clathrin-mediated endocytosis. Low-abundance isoforms lacking the transmembrane domain have been described; these are secreted. Additional isoforms seem to exist. Detected in adult brain cortex and fetal frontal lobe (at protein level). Highly expressed in brain cortex, putamen, amygdala, hippocampus and cerebellum. Expressed in the developing cerebral neocortex and glanglionic eminence in 57 days post-fertilization fetal brain. N-glycosylated. O-glycosylated. Shedding of the extracellular domain and intramembrane cleavage produce several proteolytic products. The intramembrane cleavage releases a soluble cytoplasmic polypeptide that translocates to the nucleolus. Disease susceptibility is associated with variants affecting the gene represented in this entry. Extended N-terminus. The twisted way of things - Issue 125 of January 2011