E-cadherin in gastric cancer

Cadherin is an adhesion molecule and a superfamily of calcium-mediated membrane glycoproteins. E-cadherin is the prototype of the class E-cadherin that links to catenins to form the cytoskeleton. Recent evidence has shown that E-cadherin not only acts as an adhesive, but also plays important roles in growth development and carcinogenesis. It has been recently viewed as an invasion as well as a growth suppressor gene. This review summarizes the recent discoveries on E-cadherin and its role in gastric cancer. In particular, our work on E-cadherin in gastric cancer, including its relation with Helicobacter pylori and clinical applications, are described in detail. (c) 2006 The WJG Press. All rights reserved.