Cadherins are regulated by Ep-CAM via phosphaditylinositol-3 kinase.

The cross-signaling between (cell) adhesion molecules is nowadays a well-accepted phenomenon and includes orchestrated cellular changes and changes in the microenvironment. For example, Ep-CAM is an epithelial adhesion molecule that prevails in active proliferating tissue and is suppressed in a more differentiated state of the cell. E-cadherin adhesion complexes are typical for the advanced and terminal differentiated cell status. During normal proliferation, E-cadherin is not suppressed. We have demonstrated the effect of overexpression of Ep-CAM on E-cadherin, which probably affects the connection of cadherins and F-actin. Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (Pi3K) participates in various regulating mechanisms, for example in signaling to nuclei, vesicle transport, and cytoskeletal rearrangements. The effect of Ep-CAM on E-cadherin mediated junctions as well as the involvement of Pi3K in regulating adherens junctions, led us to investigate the potential interaction between Pi3K and Ep-CAM. Introduction of Ep-CAM in the epithelial cells caused abrogation of N-cadherin mediated cell-cell adhesion, which could be inhibited by Pi3K inhibitor LY294002. Moreover, the Pi3K subunit p85 was precipitated with Ep-CAM from cell lysates, and this complex showed kinase activity. The Pi3K activity shuttled from N-cadherin to Ep-CAM. From our results, we conclude that Ep-CAM cross signaling with N-cadherin involves Pi3K, resulting in the abrogation of the cadherin adhesion complexes in epithelial cells.