Stemmler Marc P
Department of Molecular Embryology, Max-Planck Institute of Immunobiology, Stuebeweg 51, D-79108 Freiburg, Germany.
Mol Biosyst. 2008 Aug;4(8):835-50. doi: 10.1039/b719215k. Epub 2008 May 29.
Proper embryonic development is guaranteed under conditions of regulated cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesion. The cells of an embryo have to be able to distinguish their neighbours as being alike or different. Cadherins, single-pass transmembrane, Ca(2+)-dependent adhesion molecules that mainly interact in a homophilic manner, are major contributors to cell-cell adhesion. Cadherins play pivotal roles in important morphogenetic and differentiation processes during development, and in maintaining tissue integrity and homeostasis. Changes in cadherin expression throughout development enable differentiation and the formation of various organs. In addition to these functions, cadherins have strong implications in tumourigenesis, since frequently tumour cells show deregulated cadherin expression and inappropriate switching among family members. In this review, I focus on E- and N-cadherin, giving an overview of their structure, cellular function, importance during development, role in cancer, and of the complexity of Ecadherin gene regulation.
在细胞间和细胞与基质黏附受到调控的条件下，胚胎才能正常发育。胚胎细胞必须能够区分其相邻细胞是相似还是不同。钙黏蛋白是单次跨膜、依赖钙离子的黏附分子，主要以同嗜性方式相互作用，是细胞间黏附的主要贡献者。钙黏蛋白在发育过程中的重要形态发生和分化过程以及维持组织完整性和稳态中发挥着关键作用。整个发育过程中钙黏蛋白表达的变化有助于分化和各种器官的形成。除了这些功能外，钙黏蛋白在肿瘤发生中也有重要影响，因为肿瘤细胞经常表现出钙黏蛋白表达失调以及家族成员之间的不适当转换。在这篇综述中，我重点关注E-钙黏蛋白和N-钙黏蛋白，概述它们的结构、细胞功能、发育过程中的重要性、在癌症中的作用以及E-钙黏蛋白基因调控的复杂性。
