Abstract Development of malignant tumours is in part characterized by the ability of a tumour
cell to overcome cell–cell adhesion and to invade surrounding tissue. E-cadherin is the main
adhesion molecule of epithelia 1, 2, 3 and it has been implicated in carcinogenesis because …

Metastasis is a frequent and lethal complication of cancer. Vascular endothelial growth
factor‐C (VEGF‐C) is a recently described lymphangiogenic factor. Increased expression of
VEGF‐C in primary tumours correlates with dissemination of tumour cells to regional lymph …

In addition to their adhesive functions, cell-adhesion molecules modulate signal-
transduction pathways by interacting with molecules such as receptor tyrosine kinases,
components of the WNT signalling pathway and RHO-family GTPases. So, changes in the …

The metastatic process, ie the dissemination of cancer cells throughout the body to seed
secondary tumors at distant sites, requires cancer cells to leave the primary tumor and to
acquire migratory and invasive capabilities. In a process of epithelial-mesenchymal …

Approximately 90% of all cancer deaths arise from the metastatic spread of primary tumours.
Of all the processes involved in carcinogenesis, local invasion and the formation of
metastases are clinically the most relevant, but they are the least well understood at the …

E-cadherin-mediated cell–cell adhesion is lost during the development of most epithelial
cancers. Recent evidence indicates that the loss of E-cadherin function, besides causing
loss of cell–cell adhesion, might also convey signals that actively induce tumour-cell …

Angiogenesis, the growth of new blood vessels from pre-existing vasculature, is a key
process in several pathological conditions, including tumour growth and age-related
macular degeneration 1. Vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGFs) stimulate …

The expression of podoplanin, a small mucin-like protein, is upregulated in the invasive front
of a number of human carcinomas. We have investigated podoplanin function in cultured
human breast cancer cells, in a mouse model of pancreatic β cell carcinogenesis, and in …

Betacellulin, a member of the epidermal growth factor family, has been identified in the
conditioned medium of cell lines derived from mouse pancreatic beta cell tumors.
Betacellulin is a 32-kilodalton glycoprotein that appears to be processed from a larger …

TRANSGENIC mice expressing the simian virus-40 large T-antigen (Tag) under the control
of the insulin gene regulatory region offer a useful model for tumorigenesis 1, 2. All the islets
of Langerhans express Tag, although there is at first no aberrant proliferation. Over half of …