Cadherins and catenins in breast cancer.
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, beta-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.
Cowin
Pamela
P
Department of Cell Biology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York 10016, USA. cowinp01@med.nyu.edu
Rowlands
Tracey M
TM
Hatsell
Sarah J
SJ
D000818:Animals; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D015820:Cadherins / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D051177:Catenins / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D015398:Signal Transduction
D015820:Cadherins; D051177:Catenins; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins