E (epithelial)-cadherin is involved in hemophilic cell-cell adhesion in a calcium-dependent manner. It forms adheren junctions through its ectodomains, to maintain physical contacts between adjacent cells.
[1] It plays essential roles in developmental processes, tissue homeostasis and multiple diseases. In humans, this protein might be involved in the pathophysiology of ulcerative colitis. In Crohn′s diseased patients, mutations in this gene lead to a truncated or mislocalized protein product.
[4] Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET) are the underlying processes of tumorigenesis and embryogenesis, and these involve the control of E-cadherin expression.
[5]