Takeichi M
Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Science, Kyoto University, Japan.
Science. 1991 Mar 22;251(5000):1451-5. doi: 10.1126/science.2006419.
Cadherins are a family of cell adhesion receptors that are crucial for the mutual association of vertebrate cells. Through their homophilic binding interactions, cadherins play a role in cell-sorting mechanisms, conferring adhesion specificities on cells. The regulated expression of cadherins also controls cell polarity and tissue morphology. Cadherins are thus considered to be important regulators of morphogenesis. Moreover, pathological examinations suggest that the down-regulation of cadherin expression is associated with the invasiveness of tumor cells.
钙黏蛋白是一类细胞黏附受体家族，对脊椎动物细胞的相互结合至关重要。通过其嗜同性结合相互作用，钙黏蛋白在细胞分选机制中发挥作用，赋予细胞黏附特异性。钙黏蛋白的表达调控还控制细胞极性和组织形态。因此，钙黏蛋白被认为是形态发生的重要调节因子。此外，病理检查表明钙黏蛋白表达的下调与肿瘤细胞的侵袭性有关。
