Engaged for survival

Abstract

In normal tissues or tumors, cells have extensive opportunities for adhesion to their neighbors. This state is mimicked by dense cell cultures. In this review, we integrate some recent findings on a key signal transducer, STAT3 (signal transducer and activator of transcription-3), whose activity is dramatically increased following cadherin-mediated cell to cell adhesion. Cadherin engagement, favored in dense cell cultures, causes a dramatic increase in total Rac/Cdc42 protein levels through inhibition of proteasomal degradation, which is followed by activation of IL-6 and STAT3. The cadherin/Rac/IL-6/STAT3 axis offers a potent survival signal that is a prerequisite for neoplastic transformation, as well as normal tissue function.