Tumor-suppressor gene products in cell contacts: the cadherin-APC-armadillo connection.

Various structural components of intercellular junctions have recently been found to represent (or be related to) products of tumor-suppressor genes. The tumor-suppressor gene product adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) binds to beta 2-catenin (homologous to the product of Drosophila armadillo), which is cytoplasmically associated with the cell adhesion molecule E-cadherin.