Interplay of Cadherin-Mediated Cell Adhesion and Canonical Wnt Signaling

The epithelial-mesenchymal transition is essential in both embryonic development and the progression of carcinomas. Wnt signaling and cadherin-mediated adhesion have been implicated in both processes; clarifying their role will depend on linking them to rearrangements of cellular structure and behavior. beta-Catenin is an essential molecule both in cadherin-mediated cell adhesion and in canonical Wnt signaling. Numerous experiments have shown that the loss of cadherin-mediated cell adhesion can promote beta-catenin release and signaling; this is accomplished by proteases, protein kinases and other molecules. Cadherin loss can also signal to several other regulatory pathways. Additionally, many target genes of…

• EC
  European Commission
• DF
  Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
• BF
  Bundesministerium für Forschung und Technologie
• DK
  Deutsche Krebshilfe