What is E-cadherin in breast cancer?

E-cadherin is a cell adhesion molecule that is expressed in normal breast tissue and is useful as a phenotypic marker in breast cancer, with absence of its expression frequently observed in lobular type tumors.

What is the function of N-cadherin?

N-Cadherin belongs to a superfamily of calcium-dependent transmembrane adhesion proteins. It mediates adhesion in the intercalated discs at the termini of cardiomyocytes thereby serving as anchor for myofibrils at cell-cell contacts.

Is N-cadherin a tumor suppressor?

Loss of N-cadherin leads to an increase of pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia and tumor incidence in oncogenic K-rasG12D model, suggesting that it could function as a growth suppressor [56]. A similar role was reported in neuroblastoma, where downregulation of N-cadherin leads to metastatic dissemination [57].

What is E-cadherin expression?

E-cadherin is a calcium-dependent cell adhesion molecule that is normally expressed at adherent junctions between epithelial cells. The linkage of E-cadherin by catenins to the actin filament network of the cytoskeleton is thought to be essential for adhesion between cells within the cytoskeleton.

What does positive E-cadherin mean?

Sections were scored for IHC as follows: Negative, 1+ stands for weak staining, and less than 10 % of tumor cells show positive reaction for E-cadherin, 2 + stands for moderate staining, and more than 10 % show positive reaction for E-cadherin, and 3+ reflects strong staining in most of the tumor cells.

What type of molecule is N-cadherin?

N-cadherin is a transmembrane, homophilic glycoprotein belonging to the calcium-dependent cell adhesion molecule family.

What is cadherin switch?

Cadherin isoform switching (cadherin switching) occurs during normal developmental processes to allow cell types to segregate from one another. Tumor cells often recapitulate this activity and the result is an aggressive tumor cell that gains the ability to leave the site of the tumor and metastasize.

Is E-cadherin intracellular?

The E-cadherin intracellular domain interacts with catenins, assembling the cell-adhesion complex. The dual role of β-catenin, as a component of the cell–cell adhesion complex as well as transcriptional coactivator in the WNT growth factor signal pathway has been extensively characterized (Cavallaro et al., 2002).

Do all epithelial cells express E-cadherin?

E-cadherins, on the surface of all epithelial cells, are linked to the actin cytoskeleton through interactions with catenins in the cytoplasm.

Is E-cadherin a protein?

The transmembrane protein E-cadherin is the major protein that mediates homophilic adhesion between neighbouring cells and is, therefore, one of the critical components for epithelial integrity.

What is the role of N-cadherin in the pathophysiology of epithelial cell differentiation?

In other systems, inappropriate expression of a nonepithelial cadherin, such as N-cadherin, by an epithelial cell has been shown to downregulate E-cadherin expression and to contribute to a scattered phenotype.

What is the function of E-cadherin?

E-cadherin is a transmembrane glycoprotein that mediates calcium-dependent, homotypic cell–cell adhesion and plays a role in maintaining the normal phenotype of epithelial cells. Decreased expression of E-cadherin has been correlated with increased invasiveness of breast cancer.

What is the function of the intracellular domain of cadherin?

The cadherin intracellular domain interacts with several proteins, collectively called catenins, that link cadherins to the actin cytoskeleton (reviewed in Wheelock et al. 1996 ). This linkage is required for full cadherin adhesive activity.

What is the function of CaCl adherin?

C adherins constitute a family of transmembrane glycoproteins that mediate calcium-dependent homotypic cell–cell adhesion and play an important role in the maintenance of normal tissue architecture.