Cancer Institute A national cancer institute
designated cancer center

Laura Attardi

Publication Details

  • Desmosomes: new perpetrators in tumour suppression.

    Dusek RL, Attardi LD. Nat Rev Cancer. 2011; 11 (5): 317-23

    Adherens junctions, which are intercellular adhesive complexes that are crucial for maintaining epithelial homeostasis, are downregulated in many cancers to promote tumour progression. However, the role of desmosomes - adhesion complexes that are related to adherens junctions - in carcinogenesis has remained elusive. Recent studies using mouse genetic approaches have uncovered a role for desmosomes in tumour suppression, demonstrating that desmosome downregulation occurs before that of adherens junctions to drive tumour development and early invasion, suggesting a two-step model of adhesion dysfunction in cancer progression.

    PubMedID: 21508970

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