E-cadherin is a transmembrane protein that mediates calcium-dependent cell–cell adhesion and plays a key role in maintaining the structural integrity of epithelial monolayers. Loss of E-cadherin expression or function contributes to tumor progression, and because cancers are characterized by loss of cellular adhesion and dissemination, the ability of E-cadherin to suppress tumor cell invasion was logically attributed to its adhesive properties. In the June 23
Wong and Gumbiner expressed wildtype E-cadherin and various E-cadherin mutants in two invasive, E-cadherin–negative human cell lines derived from breast and prostate cancers. They observed that the extracellular adhesive domain of E-cadherin is neither necessary nor sufficient for inhibiting cancer progression. The invasion suppressor activity maps to the ...
