ABSTRACT
The E-cadherin cell adhesion system controls epithelial cell polarity and tissue morphology. Cell polarity disturbance and destruction of normal tissue morphology are histological features of human cancers. Cancer invasion is initiated by cell dissociation from primary cancer nests, due to reduced intercellular adhesion, and the E-cadherin cell adhesion system is known to act as an “invasion-suppressor” in human cancers. The system is inactivated by various mechanisms, including reduced expression, genetic alteration and/or tyrosine phosphorylation of E-cadherin and its undercoat proteins, termed catenins.
