Cell adhesion, cell adhesion molecules and their functional role in the human endometrium.

In summary, cadherins are important determinants of tissue morphology. They play a major role in the maintenance of intercellular junctions in normal epithelial cells in most organs. Cadherin expression is found to be perturbed in human invasive carcinoma. Cadherins are probably crucial for many other morphogenetic processes which involve selective cell adhesion or detachment. Expression of integrins allows binding of endometrial cells to various ligands (fibronectin, laminin, collagens) and hence adds to the preservation of the architectural integrity of endometrium. Regulation of adhesion-molecule expression probably contributes to the invasive behavior of cytotrophoblast, both in physiological and pathophysiological conditions. The integrin expression by the endometrium seems to be a dynamic process, many details of which still remain to be elucidated.