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Updated: Jun 22, 2026

Bead Aggregation Assays for the Characterization of Putative Cell Adhesion Molecules
Published on: October 17, 2014
E-cadherin surface levels in epithelial growth factor-stimulated cells depend on adherens junction protein shrew-1
Julia Christina Gross1, Alexander Schreiner, Knut Engels
1Institute for Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University of Frankfurt, 60323 Frankfurt, Germany.
Abstract:
Gain- and loss-of-function studies indicate that the adherens junction protein shrew-1 acts as a novel modulator of E-cadherin internalization induced by epithelial growth factor (EGF) or E-cadherin function-blocking antibody during epithelial cell dynamics. Knocking down shrew-1 in MCF-7 carcinoma cells preserves E-cadherin surface levels upon EGF stimulation. Overexpression of shrew-1 leads to preformation of an E-cadherin/EGF receptor (EGFR) HER2/src-kinase/shrew-1 signaling complex and accelerated E-cadherin internalization. Shrew-1 is not sufficient to stimulate E-cadherin internalization, but facilitates the actions of EGFR and thus may promote malignant progression in breast cancer cells with constitutive EGFR stimulation by reducing surface E-cadherin expression.
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