Which of the following is involved in tumor metastasis cascade:-

Ans. is 'b' i.e. E. cadherin For the tumor cells to metastasize they must-1st - detach from each other.Next - traverse the extracellular matrix (i. e. the basement membrane and interstitial connective tissue).Normally the cells are neatly glued to each other and their surrounding by a variety of adhesion molecules.Of these the E-Cadherin is most important. Any abnormality of E-cadherin molecule or down-regulation of its expression would lead to detachment of the cells from the primary tumor and move out for metastasis.