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Updated: Jun 19, 2026

Assay for Phosphorylation and Microtubule Binding Along with Localization of Tau Protein in Colorectal Cancer Cells
Published on: October 10, 2017
Localization of cortactin is associated with colorectal cancer development
Hiroshi Hirakawa1, Kenichiro Shibata, Toshiyuki Nakayama
1Department of Tumor and Diagnostic Pathology, Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki 852-8523, Japan. h-hira@nagasaki-u.ac.jp
Abstract:
Cortactin is a ubiquitously expressed actin filament (F-actin)-binding protein that stabilizes F-actin networks and promotes actin polymerization by activating the actin-related protein 2/3 (Arp2/3) complex. Overexpression of cortactin in cancer cells stimulate cell migration, invasion, and experimental metastasis; however, the underlying mechanism in cortactin involvement in tumor progression is not fully understood. Recently, a direct interaction between zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) and cortactin in epithelial cells was reported. The present study aimed to further clarify the significance of the interaction between cortactin and ZO-1 in cancer progression. Cortactin expression and localization in colorectal human cancer tissues were evaluated by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence. Co-immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence analysis revealed cortactin and ZO-1 interaction and localization in cancer cells. In our study, the localization of cortactin is a crucial marker for lymph node metastasis in colorectal cancer. We show how the localization of cortactin effects cancer development. A molecular interaction between cortactin and ZO-1 in migrating or polarized cancer cells was revealed. This is the first report to show the interaction of cortactin and ZO-1 in colorectal cancer progression. We conclude that localization of cortactin in cancer cells and interaction between ZO-1 and cortactin are crucial for cancer progression.
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