Figure 8
Scheme for HT29 sensitive and MTX-resistant cells. A diagram is presented showing the compartment localization of CAV1, E-cadherin (E-CDH) and β-catenin (β-CAT) in HT29 sensitive cells (with E-cadherin) and MTX-resistant cells (without E-cadherin, gene loss) and the effects caused by this differential situation. In the sensitive cells, β-catenin is located in the adherence junctions within a complex with E-cadherin. CAV1 co-localizes with β-catenin in these complexes, interfering in β-CAT signaling. If E-cadherin is lost, as in the resistant cells, β-catenin is not retained in the plasma membrane and then can be translocated into the nucleus, thus activating Tcf/Lef-1 transcription factors-mediated expression of genes implicated in cell proliferation and tumor progression.