title: Involvement of liver-intestine cadherin in cancer progression.
abstract: Cadherins constitute a superfamily of Ca(2+)-dependent cell adhesion molecules that play critical roles in the maintenance of tissue structure and morphogenesis. Their dysregulation is commonly observed in a variety of cancers. Liver-intestine cadherin (LI-cadherin), which was so named in view of its sole expression in the liver and intestine of the rat, is a structurally unique member of the cadherin superfamily, possessing seven cadherin repeats within the extracellular cadherin domain and only 25 amino acids in the cytoplasmic domain. Its adhesive property does not require any interaction with cytoplasmic components such as catenins, and it responds to small changes in extracellular Ca(2+) below the physiological plasma concentration. In humans, the distribution of LI-cadherin is limited to the duodenum, jejunum, ileum, colon, and part of the pancreatic duct. Data accumulated from studies of the biological characteristics of LI-cadherin have shown that it plays an important role in the pathophysiology of human cancers. Here, we review recent information about LI-cadherin and its implications for cancer progression.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, 1-757 Asahimachi-dori, Chuo-ku, Niigata, Japan. atmc@hotmail.co.jp
authors.forename: Masaaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takamura
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamagiwa
authors.forename: Yasunobu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Matsuda
authors.forename: Takafumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ichida
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Aoyagi
mesh_terms: D015820:Cadherins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D004067:Digestive System Neoplasms / Q000503:physiopathology*; D018450:Disease Progression; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: C490584:CDH17 protein, human; D015820:Cadherins