Caught in the middle

The protein E-cadherin puts a leash on cancer cells, and on page 343 Ling et al. clarify how cells deliver the molecule to the membrane. A connector protein fastens E-cadherin to a transporter that hauls it to the cell surface. The findings might improve researchers' understanding of metastasis in epithelial cancers and reveal how cells direct E-cadherin to the basolateral portion of the membrane.

Epithelial cells hold tight to their neighbors through connections called adherens junctions. The structures form when E-cadherin proteins protruding from adjoining cells clasp, and the cells snuggle up. To control these liaisons, cells add E-cadherin to the membrane or withdraw it into the cytoplasm. Because E-cadherin blocks cancer cells from spreading, researchers want to determine how cells direct the protein to the membrane.

Ling et...