Cadherins play key roles in cell-cell adhesion, directing tissue patterning and forming neural connections during development, epithelial to mesenchymal transition in cancers and wound healing, thereby serving as mechanosensors that relay mechanical signals from the cells' environment to the actin cytoskeleton to facilitate a tensile or migratory response.27, , –30 Many isoforms of cadherin proteins exist in multiple species including humans, and their expression and distribution are highly tissue specific. This evidence concerns the gene CDH17 and cancer.