Cell adhesion receptors and gap junctions in normal and neoplastic transformed thyrocytes

In the thyroid cell adhesion receptors and gap junctions establish a complex modular network defining the structural properties of cells, their interactions with neighboring cells and the extracellular matrix. Neoplastic alterations of this network can lead to an imbalance of cell to cell communication and allows transformed cells to escape from the tissue to generate metastases. The present manuscript summarizes general and thyroid-specific aspects of the molecular basis of cell-cell contacts, an expanding field of tumor biology.