Remodeling of E-cadherin subcellular localization during cell dissemination.

Given the role of E-cadherin (E-cad) in holding epithelial cells together, an inverse relationship between E-cad levels and cell invasion during the epithelial-mesenchymal transition and cancer metastasis has been well recognized. Here we report that E-cad is necessary for the invasiveness of -transformed intestinal epithelial cells in . E-cad/β-catenin disassembles at adherens junctions and assembles at invasive protrusions--the actin- and cortactin-rich invadopodium-like protrusions associated with the breach of the extracellular matrix (ECM)--during dissemination of -transformed intestinal epithelial cells.

Wear and tear of the intestinal visceral musculature by intrinsic and extrinsic factors.

Background: The gut visceral musculature plays essential roles in not only moving substances through the lumen but also maintaining the function and physiology of the gut. Although the development of the visceral musculature has been studied in multiple model organisms, how it degenerates is poorly understood.

Results: Here, we employ the Drosophila midgut as a model to demonstrate that the visceral musculature is disrupted by intrinsic and extrinsic factors, such as aging, feeding, chemical-induced tissue damage, and oncogenic transformation in the epithelium.

Dissemination of Ras-transformed cells requires the mechanosensitive channel Piezo.

Dissemination of transformed cells is a key process in metastasis. Despite its importance, how transformed cells disseminate from an intact tissue and enter the circulation is poorly understood. Here, we use a fully developed tissue, Drosophila midgut, and describe the morphologically distinct steps and the cellular events occurring over the course of Ras-transformed cell dissemination.