CD44 promotes resistance to apoptosis in human colon cancer cells.

Overexpression of CD44, especially its variant isoforms, occurs consistently in colon cancer, as compared to autologous normal colon, and this change occurs also in most other types of cancer. One of the basic features of malignant transformation is the acquisition of resistance to apoptosis. In this study, we asked whether the expression of CD44 and some of its variant isoforms commonly found in colon cancer participate in resistance to apoptosis and what are the mechanisms involved.

Motility of colon cancer cells: modulation by CD44 isoform expression.

The invasion of cancer cells at primary tumor sites and their migration during metastatic spread require the expression of cell adhesion and motility proteins. Whether accelerated cell motility is necessary in these two processes is not universally accepted. In this study we took advantage that CD44, a cell adhesion protein, has different metastatic potentials depending on its splicing isoforms to examine how they affect cell motility.