Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
10929754 | Current Opinion in Cell Biology | 2005 | 10 Pages |
Abstract
Recent studies show that cadherins and catenins are hormonally regulated and carry out physiological roles during mammary development but have pathological effects when deregulated. E-cadherin expression is irreversibly lost in invasive lobular breast cancer (ILC). Animal models of ILC provide mechanistic insight, confirming that E-cadherin serves as both a tumor suppressor and an invasion suppressor in ILC. Ductal breast cancer involves complex, reversible, epigenetic modulation of multiple cadherins. Transcriptional regulators of E-cadherin have been identified that induce epithelial-to-mesenchymal transitions. Catenins are lost or mislocalized in tumors lacking cadherins. However, β-catenin signaling is upregulated by numerous pathways in >50% of breast tumors and animal models suggest its oncogenic function in breast relates to its role in mammary progenitor cell expansion.
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Authors
Pamela Cowin, Tracey M Rowlands, Sarah J Hatsell,