Cadherins as determinants of tissue morphology and suppressors of invasion

During the past years cell-cell adhesion molecules of the cadherin family have been recognized as major regulators of such diverse processes as normal morphogenesis and tumor metastasis. Since the list of new cadherin family members is constantly growing, the functional spectrum of these proteins is likely to broaden. This review will describe our current knowledge on cadherins and point out new aspects of cadherin function and regulation.