Faraldo, M. M.Teuliere, J.Deugnier, M. A.Birchmeier, W.Huelsken, J.Thiery, J. P.Cano, A.Glukhova, M. A.2008-02-182008-02-182008-02-18200710.1016/j.febslet.2007.01.053https://infoscience.epfl.ch/handle/20.500.14299/18798P-cadherin expression is restricted to the basal layer of stratified epithelia including that of the mammary gland. Although evidence for an important role of P-cadherin in mammary morphogenesis and tumorigenesis is increasing, the mechanisms that regulate its expression are poorly understood. We show that in basal mammary epithelial cells, beta-catenin is associated with the P-cadherin promoter and activates its expression independently of LEF/TCF in a cell-type specific manner. Down-regulation of endogenous beta-catenin levels by RNA interference technique inhibited P-cadherin promoter activity. In vivo, in skin and mammary gland of mutant mice, activation of beta-catenin signalling correlates with up-regulation of P-cadherin expression. These data suggest that beta-catenin-dependent modulation of P-cadherin expression can contribute to the establishment of the basal phenotype.text::journal::journal article::research article