E-Cadherin: Context-Dependent Functions of a Quintessential Epithelial Marker in Metastasis.

TitleE-Cadherin: Context-Dependent Functions of a Quintessential Epithelial Marker in Metastasis.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2021
AuthorsFang, C, Kang, Y
JournalCancer Res
Volume81
Issue23
Pagination5800-5802
Date Published2021 Dec 01
ISSN1538-7445
KeywordsCadherins, Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition, Humans, Neoplasms, Signal Transduction
Abstract

<p>Loss of E-cadherin expression has been well known as a hallmark of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), which is linked to increased risk of cancer metastasis. However, it was less clear whether E-cadherin and its downstream signaling pathways are functionally involved in driving EMT and the prometastatic phenotype. A study by Onder and colleagues in 2008 discovered that E-cadherin loss not only helps tumor cells detach from each other by breaking down cell-cell junctions but also elicits intracellular signaling events to confer a mesenchymal cell state and metastatic phenotype. This study established E-cadherin as an important global regulator, rather than just a marker, of EMT. The discovery inspired further investigation in the following decade that significantly deepened our understanding of E-cadherin and its diverse functions and more broadly of cellular plasticity in different stages and contexts of cancer metastasis..</p>

DOI10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-21-3302
Alternate JournalCancer Res
PubMed ID34853039