Down-regulation of E-cadherin marks the initiation of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition,
a process exploited by invasive cancer cells. The zinc finger transcription factor, Snail,
functions as a potent repressor of E-cadherin expression that can, acting alone or in concert
with the Wnt/β-catenin/T cell factor axis, induce an epithelial-mesenchymal transition.
Although mechanisms that coordinate signaling events initiated by Snail and Wnt remain
undefined, we demonstrate that Snail displays β-catenin-like canonical motifs that support its …