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dadamowiki A wikipedia of Dr. D'Adamo's research |
Cadherins
See AlsoDescription
The cadherins establish molecular links between adjacent cells by means "zipper-like structures" at membrane regions where a cell makes contact with other cells. Thus cadherins are essential to the architecture of the body; without them cells could not aggregate into larger structures, such as organs.
The expression of cadherin molecules in the embryo is crucial for the migration of cells and the differentiation of tissues. As one might expect, cadherins are crucial for the maintenance of epithelial structure -One can imagine what loss of epithelial cell to cell adhesion would be like. It can be similar to losing the glue that holds the epithelial cells together.
Since cancer cells tend to spread by losing their ability to adhere to their base tissue, not surprisingly, cadherins are the subject of considerable study with regard to cancer metastasis. The initial step of cancer metastasis is the detachment of cells from the primary tumor mass. In tumors of epithelial origin, the loss of cadherin's self-adherence function is directly proportional to the probability that that tumor will metastasize. Indeed, under normal conditions with sufficient activity of cadherins, cells are unable to disrupt their mutual connections; only in the state of cadherin inactivation may a cells be freed from its adhesive constraints and migrate out of its parent colonies. In fact reduced cadherin levels have been observed in a broad range of malignancies, including cancers of the head and neck, lung, breast, prostate, oesophagus, stomach and colorectum. Clinical studies suggest that the loss of E-cadherin function is directly associated with tumor invasion and metastasis. In gastric carcinoma, highly differentiated tumors generally maintain homogeneous, strong expression of cadherin, while in more invasive tumors cadherin expression is found to be altered or even completely suppressed.
Discussion
Cadherins mediate cell adhesion and play a fundamental role in normal development. They participate in the maintenance of proper cell-cell contacts.
E-cadherin, a calcium-dependent transmembrane glycoprotein, is an adhesion molecule. The loss of E-cadherin expression may be involved in regional lymph node metastasis and in malignant potential of thyroid neoplasms. ( {{J Surg Oncol 2001 Mar;76(3):176-80
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