7.6 E-Cadherin

Experimental Procedures

1
Cadherin
Cadherins are a superfamily of transmembrane glycoproteins that contain cadherin repeat sequences of approximately 100 residues in their extracellular domains. Cadherins mediate calcium-dependent cell-cell adhesion and play a crucial role in the development of normal tissues. The classical cadherin family includes N-, P-, R-, B-, and E-Cadherin, as well as approximately ten other members present in adherens junctions. E-Cadherin is an active inhibitory protein for the invasion and growth of many epithelial cancer cells.
2
EMT Transformation
Studies have shown that many cancer cells exhibit decreased E-Cadherin expression and increased N-Cadherin expression, a phenomenon known as EMT (Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition) transformation.
E-Cadherin can be detected in most normal tissues and cells, but its expression varies in tumor cells. The cell lines confirmed to express E-Cadherin include MCF7, HCT116, T-47D, etc.
During the Western Blotting (WB) process, these three cell lines can be selected as positive controls to troubleshoot experimental issues.
At the same time, we can also detect the change trends of other proteins (as shown in the figure below) during the EMT process to verify whether they conform to the expected trends.
In addition, E-Cadherin is a membrane protein. Ultrasonic treatment during sample preparation can fully expose the epitopes of the protein.