RNAi profiling of human mammary epithelial cells - analysis of the effects of loss of E-cadherin and cell adhesion

ABSTRACT: Loss of the epithelial adhesion molecule E-cadherin is thought to enable metastasis by disrupting intercellular contacts—an early step in metastatic dissemination. To further investigate the molecular basis of this notion, we use two methods to inhibit E-cadherin function that distinguish between E-cadherin’s cell-cell adhesion and intracellular signaling functions. While the disruption of cell-cell contacts alone does not enable metastasis, the loss of E-cadherin protein does, through induction of an epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, invasiveness and anoikis-resistance. We find the E-cadherin binding partner -catenin to be necessary but not sufficient for induction of these phenotypes. In addition, gene expression analysis shows that E-cadherin loss results in the induction o

ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens

SUBMITTER: Tamer Onder 

PROVIDER: E-GEOD-9691 | biostudies-arrayexpress |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-arrayexpress