Making a choice: How cadherin switching controls cell migration

Abstract

Cells that undergo epithelial-to-mesenchymal transitions (EMTs) commonly switch from expressing E-cadherin to N-cadherin. But why this occurs is not well understood. In the current issue of Developmental Cell, Scarpa et al. (2015) identify a reason: cadherin switching controls Rac signaling to determine how cell locomotion is regulated by contact.