CDH17 and cancer: The mechanism underlying the downregulation of E-cadherin protein levels in 4T1 cells is unclear; yet the phenomenon is consistent with the reduction in E-cadherin levels found in 4T1 cells cultured in on a 3D Matrigel matrix24, and with the increased tendency of cancer cells located at the periphery of epithelial islands to more readily undergo cytokine-induced EMT44, suggesting that cadherin-mediated adhesion might suppress EMT.