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Updated: Aug 17, 2026

Spatial and Temporal Analysis of Active ERK in the C. elegans Germline
Published on: November 29, 2016
[Regulation of E-cadherin by the Akt protein kinase B]
Sylvia Grille1, Alfonso Bellacosa, Lionel Larue
1Developmental Genetics of Melanocytes, UMR 146 CNRS-Institut Curie, Bat. 110, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France.
Abstract:
E-cadherin is a cell adhesion molecule that is present in most normal epithelial cells. During malignant transformation, the expression of E-cadherin is frequently repressed. This protein is considered as a tumor-suppressor. The oncogenic form of Akt, a serine-threonine kinase, is multifunctionnal. One of its function is to induce the transcriptional repression of E-cadherin. This transcriptional repression induces cellular responses, epithelial cells becoming mesenchymal and invasive. At the molecular level, cells expressing a constitutive active form of Akt express also a transcription factor, Snail, known to repress the expression of E-cadherin.
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