title: Endothelial cadherins in cancer.
abstract: Cadherins are cell adhesion receptors that play important roles in embryogenesis and tissue homoeostasis. Endothelial cells express various members of the cadherin superfamily, in particular vascular endothelial (VE-) cadherin, which is the main adhesion receptor of endothelial adherens junctions and neural (N-) cadherin, which is normally localized outside the junctions and may mediate adhesion between endothelial cells and non-endothelial cells. Dysregulation of cadherin expression has been implicated in tumor progression, in particular the loss of epithelial (E-) cadherin expression or function and the gain of N-cadherin. Moreover, more recently, aberrant expression of VE-cadherin was observed in certain cancer types. In breast carcinoma, VE-cadherin was shown to promote tumor cell proliferation and invasion through enhancing TGF-β signaling. Thus, in breast cancer, the cadherin switch involves another player, vascular endothelial cadherin, which is part of an intricate interplay of classical cadherins in breast cancer progression.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathology, Technische Universität Dresden, Fetscherstr. 74, 01307, Dresden, Germany, georg.breier@uniklinikum-dresden.de.
authors.forename: Georg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Breier
authors.forename: Marianne
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grosser
authors.forename: Maryam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rezaei
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D015820:Cadherins / Q000378:metabolism*; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D015820:Cadherins