Mouse Crumbs3 sustains epithelial tissue morphogenesis in vivo.

The human apical protein CRB3 (Crb3 in mouse) organizes epithelial cell polarity. Loss of CRB3 expression increases the tumorogenic potential of cultured epithelial cells and favors metastasis formation in nude mice. These data emphasize the need of in vivo models to study CRB3 functions.

CRB3A Controls the Morphology and Cohesion of Cancer Cells through Ehm2/p114RhoGEF-Dependent Signaling.

The transmembrane protein CRB3A controls epithelial cell polarization. Elucidating the molecular mechanisms of CRB3A function is essential as this protein prevents the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), which contributes to tumor progression. To investigate the functional impact of altered CRB3A expression in cancer cells, we expressed CRB3A in HeLa cells, which are devoid of endogenous CRB3A.