CDH1

CDH1 encodes E-cadherin, a classical calcium-dependent cell-cell adhesion glycoprotein that maintains epithelial tissue architecture through adherens junctions and homophilic intercellular interactions^[1]. Beyond structural adhesion, E-cadherin regulates epithelial cell mobility, proliferation, differentiation, and intracellular signaling, thereby contributing to tissue organization and epithelial homeostasis^[1][2]. Mechanistically, CDH1 functions as a potent invasion suppressor, and loss of E-cadherin disrupts epithelial integrity and promotes cellular dissemination, a process closely linked to epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and tumor progression^[3]. In disease settings, germline and somatic alterations of CDH1 are strongly associated with hereditary diffuse gastric cancer and invasive lobular breast cancer, making CDH1 one of the most extensively studied epithelial tumor suppressor genes^[1][6][7]. Experimental and clinical studies have demonstrated that pathogenic CDH1 variants predispose individuals to diffuse gastric cancer and lobular breast cancer through impairment of E-cadherin-mediated adhesion and tissue architecture maintenance^[6][7]. Compared with other cadherin family members, E-cadherin is the prototypical epithelial cadherin and is distinguished by its central role in maintaining epithelial phenotype and suppressing invasive behavior^[1]. Consequently, CDH1 status is widely used in cancer biology, EMT research, hereditary cancer studies, and experimental models investigating cell adhesion, epithelial plasticity, invasion, and metastasis^[3][6].