Desmosomes: a role in cancer?

Much evidence now attests to the importance of desmosomes and their constituents in cancer. Alterations in the expression of desmosomal components could contribute to the progression of the disease by modifying intracellular signal transduction pathways and/or by causing reduced cell adhesion. The Wnt/beta-catenin pathway is a potential target because of the involvement of the cytoplasmic desmosomal protein plakoglobin. Loss of desmosomal adhesion is a prerequisite for the epithelial-mesenchymal transition, implicated in the conversion of early stage tumours to invasive cancers.