GENE REFERENCE / HGNC:1748
CDH1
cadherin 1
What does this gene do?
The CDH1 gene provides instructions for making a protein called epithelial cadherin or E-cadherin. This protein is found within the membrane that surrounds epithelial cells, which are the cells that line the surfaces and cavities of the body, such as the inside of the eyelids and mouth. E-cadherin belongs to a family of proteins called cadherins whose function is to help neighboring cells stick to one another (cell adhesion) to form organized tissues. Another protein called p120-catenin, produced from the CTNND1 gene, helps keep E-cadherin in its proper place in the cell membrane, preventing it from being taken into the cell through a process called endocytosis and broken down prematurely.
E-cadherin is one of the best-understood cadherin proteins. In addition to its role in cell adhesion, E-cadherin is involved in transmitting chemical signals within cells, controlling cell maturation and movement, and regulating the activity of certain genes. Interactions between the E-cadherin and p120-catenin proteins, in particular, are thought to be important for normal development of the head and face (craniofacial development), including the eyelids and teeth. E-cadherin also acts as a tumor suppressor protein, which means it prevents cells from growing and dividing too rapidly or in an uncontrolled way.
Related condition topics
MedlinePlus mentions this gene in the condition pages below. These links alone do not show that the gene causes a condition.
ClinGen reviews
ClinGen reviews the evidence linking a particular gene to a condition. Each rating below describes the strength of that link. It does not classify a variant in your DNA file.
| Condition | Inheritance | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| familial ovarian cancerMONDO:0016248 · Evaluated 2017-08-03 | Autosomal dominant | No Known Disease RelationshipBreast/Ovarian Cancer Gene Curation Expert Panel |
| CDH1-related diffuse gastric and lobular breast cancer syndromeMONDO:0100488 · Evaluated 2024-03-22 | Autosomal dominant | DefinitiveHereditary Cancer Gene Curation Expert Panel |
ClinVar records
These numbers show what has been submitted to ClinVar. They cannot tell you how likely you are to have a condition.
- Submitted alleles
- 5,295
- Submissions for variants in or overlapping this gene
- 13,918
- Submissions explicitly reporting this gene
- 13,844
- Alleles reported pathogenic / likely pathogenic
- 708
- VariationIDs with uncertain significance
- 2,141
- VariationIDs with conflicting classifications
- 583
The rows count different things: alleles, submissions or VariationIDs. Their categories can overlap, so do not add them together. Pathogenic/likely pathogenic counts exclude structural variants that merely overlap a gene. A dash in the source means “not reported,” not zero.
NCBI produces the gene-summary file each week using counts recorded at the start of the month. The numbers may differ from those on the live ClinVar website. Read the field definitions ↗
YOUR DNA FILE
Can your DNA file tell you about CDH1?
From a DNA test kit (such as 23andMe, AncestryDNA or MyHeritage). These kits check a fixed list of about 600,000 to 700,000 positions across your whole genome. ClinVar lists 708 alleles in CDH1 reported as pathogenic or likely pathogenic. A kit checks only some of these positions, and often none of them.
From whole genome sequencing (a VCF file). Sequencing reads most of your genome. Your file lists the places where your DNA differs from the reference genome. Some regions are hard to sequence, including parts of some genes that have near-identical copies elsewhere, and a VCF file does not record which positions were read well.
If a variant is not in your file, that does not mean you don’t have it.
What BioDecode checks
BioDecode compares every variant in your file with ClinVar, on your own computer. For each match, it shows the ClinVar classification, the review status and the condition it was reported for. Your file is not uploaded.
A ClinVar classification applies to one particular variant and the condition it was reported for. It does not tell you about other variants in CDH1.
BioDecode cannot fill gaps in your test, diagnose a condition or replace clinical testing.
Sources and dates
The source information on this page last changed on 2026-10-10.
HGNC Source details
Source release: Fri, 09 Oct 2026 13:40:45 GMT
Source record updated: 2023-01-20
SHA-256: e4cd9c6d7120051b80e5e61d2aeb98bd6a541ddd21f428a6eab922c11242e053
MedlinePlus Source details
Source release: Sat, 10 Oct 2026 05:16:07 GMT
Source publication: 2020-08-18
Source review: 2017-07
SHA-256: fdc8bd614310c12718379cef6569962e5d0e791cecabcc355b53a72816ac263a
ClinVar Source details
Source release: Sun, 04 Oct 2026 13:15:29 GMT
SHA-256: 126d9e5bded1d43c0380ac6684c86f9aab056d2ff2be93d743e408ed917ae558
ClinGen Source details
Source release: Sat, 10 Oct 2026 09:49:14 GMT
SHA-256: 5bbc9404c72cc21d80e36ea4c49380231755850af5c34064262adceb74881af6
About the library sources · Latest validated release · Record e06f62a07013