Novel peptide mimetic small molecules of the HAV motif in N-cadherin inhibit N-cadherin-mediated neurite outgrowth and cell adhesion.

The cell adhesion molecule, N-cadherin, stabilizes cell-cell junctions and promotes cellular migration during tissue morphogenesis in development. N-cadherin is also implicated in mediating tumor progression and metastasis in cancer. Therefore, developing antagonists of N-cadherin adhesion may be of therapeutic value in cancer treatment.