PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Maeda, Masato
AU  - Johnson, Keith R.
AU  - Wheelock, Margaret J.
TI  - Cadherin switching: essential for behavioral but not morphological changes during an epithelium-to-mesenchyme transition
AID  - 10.1242/jcs.01634
DP  - 2005 Mar 01
TA  - Journal of Cell Science
PG  - 873--887
VI  - 118
IP  - 5
4099  - http://jcs.biologists.org/content/118/5/873.short
4100  - http://jcs.biologists.org/content/118/5/873.full
SO  - J. Cell Sci.2005 Mar 01; 118
AB  - Epithelium-to-mesenchyme transitions (EMTs) are characterized by morphological and behavioral changes in cells. During an EMT, E-cadherin is downregulated while N-cadherin is upregulated. The goal of this study was to understand the role cadherin switching plays in EMT using a classical model system: transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1)-mediated EMT in mammary epithelial cells. We showed that stress fibers and focal adhesions are increased, and cell-cell junctions are decreased in response to TGF-β1. Moreover, these changes were reversible upon removal of TGF-β1. Downregulation of E-cadherin and upregulation of N-cadherin were both transcriptional. Neither experimental knockdown nor experimental overexpression of N-cadherin interfered with the morphological changes. In addition, the morphological changes associated with EMT preceded the downregulation of E-cadherin. Interestingly, TGF-β1-induced motility in N-cadherin-knockdown cells was significantly reduced. Together, these data suggest that cadherin switching is necessary for increased motility but is not required for the morphological changes that accompany EMT.