VEZT is a gene located on chromosome 12 and encodes for the protein vezatin. Vezatin is a major component of the cadherin-catenin complex that is critical to the formation and maintenance of adherens junctions. The protein is expressed in most epithelial cells and is crucial to the formation of cell-cell contact junctions. Mutations of the gene can lead to upregulation or downregulation of the protein which can have detrimental effects on physiological systems, particularly those involved in development.
