Research report 2008 - Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics

The role of cadherins during patterning of the mammalian embryo

Authors
Stemmler, Marc
Departments

Molekulare Embryologie (Prof. Dr. Rolf Kemler)
MPI für Immunbiologie, Freiburg

Summary
Cadherin-mediated cell-cell adhesion plays a pivotal role in patterning of multicellular organisms. In particular E- and N-cadherin have an important function during development and their expression is usually mutually exclusive. During important morphogenetic events expression is switched from E- to N-cadherin. This cadherin switch is observed during normal development, but also during tumorigenesis and metastasis and is accompanied by changes in cell morphology and their molecular properties. Scientists at the MPI of Immunobiology have focused on the molecular differences between and the gene regulation of E- and N-cadherin.

For the full text, see the German version.

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