This gene is overexpressed in breast cancer and squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck. The encoded protein is localized in the cytoplasm and in areas of the cell-substratum contacts. This gene has two roles: (1) regulating the interactions between components of adherens-type junctions and (2) organizing the cytoskeleton and cell adhesion structures of epithelia and carcinoma cells. During apoptosis, the encoded protein is degraded in a caspase-dependent manner. The aberrant regulation of this gene contributes to tumor cell invasion and metastasis. Three splice variants that encode different isoforms have been identified for this gene. [provided by RefSeq, May 2010]
Forensic Context
A study in rats demonstrated that hemorrhagic shock-induced acute lung injury is characterized by widespread transcriptomic changes, including the significant downregulation of the CTTN mRNA, which is associated with endothelial barrier integrity and whose loss can lead to excessive leukocyte leakage [Wang et al. DOI:10.1097/TA.0000000000003119].