Abstract. cadherins are found in almost all living organisms. In addition to their role in the formation and maintenance of normal tissue architecture, cadherins seem to play a crucial role in the cell-cell interactions of cancer cells in tumorigenesis, invasion and metastasis. the aim of the present study was to identify the role of cDH12 in the invasion and metastasis of salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma (sAcc). real-time pcr results showed that cDH12 is abnormally expressed in the highly metastatic sAcc cell line Acc-M, compared to Acc-2, a sAcc cell line with low metastatic ability. cDH12 expression was significantly higher in clinical samples with metastasis and recurrence than in those without metastasis and recurrence (p<0.05), as demonstrated by immunohistochemical analysis. overexpression of the cDH12 protein in Acc-M cells infected with an adenovirus vector containing cDH12 enhanced the invasive and migratory ability of Acc-M cells in vitro compared to Acc-M cells infected with empty vector. likewise, knockdown of cDH12 by small interfering RNA efficiently inhibited the invasion and migration of Acc-M cells in vitro. these results indicate that cDH12 may play an important role in the invasion and metastasis of sAcc.

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