title: Desmosomes: new perpetrators in tumour suppression.
abstract: Adherens junctions, which are intercellular adhesive complexes that are crucial for maintaining epithelial homeostasis, are downregulated in many cancers to promote tumour progression. However, the role of desmosomes - adhesion complexes that are related to adherens junctions - in carcinogenesis has remained elusive. Recent studies using mouse genetic approaches have uncovered a role for desmosomes in tumour suppression, demonstrating that desmosome downregulation occurs before that of adherens junctions to drive tumour development and early invasion, suggesting a two-step model of adhesion dysfunction in cancer progression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology and Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Rachel L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Dusek
authors.forename: Laura D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Attardi
mesh_terms: D022005:Adherens Junctions / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D003896:Desmosomes / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D009385:Neoplastic Processes; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins