title: N-cadherin-mediated adhesion and signaling from development to disease: lessons from mice.
abstract: Of the 20 classical cadherin subtypes identified in mammals, the functions of the two initially identified family members E- (epithelial) and N- (neural) cadherin have been most extensively studied. E- and N-Cadherin have mostly mutually exclusive expression patterns, with E-cadherin expressed primarily in epithelial cells, whereas N-cadherin is found in a variety of cells, including neural, muscle, and mesenchymal cells. N-Cadherin function, in particular, appears to be cell context-dependent, as it can mediate strong cell-cell adhesion in the heart but induces changes in cell behavior in favor of a migratory phenotype in the context of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). The ability of tumor cells to alter their cadherin expression profile, for example, E- to N-cadherin, is critical for malignant progression. Recent advances in mouse molecular genetics, and specifically tissue-specific knockout and knockin alleles of N-cadherin, have provided some unexpected results. This chapter highlights some of the genetic studies that explored the complex role of N-cadherin in embryonic development and disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Center for Translational Medicine, Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
authors.forename: Glenn L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Radice
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015820:Cadherins / Q000378:metabolism*; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000502:physiology*; D018450:Disease Progression; D047108:Embryonic Development / Q000235:genetics*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D051379:Mice; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D015820:Cadherins