Background: The cadherin-11  (CDH11 , OB-cadherin) gene is a member of the cadherin family and is located on chromosome 16q22.1. Previous studies have revealed that cadherins play significant roles in the development of many human malignancies. Increasing evidence has identified CDH11  as a functional tumour suppressor, which is commonly silenced by promoter methylation, but the functions of this gene in colorectal cancer (CRC) have been unclear.
Methods: The CDH11  expression in primary CRC tissues and cell lines was investigated by qRT-PCR, RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. The promoter methylation status of CDH11  was measured by methylation-specific PCR (MSP). Cell proliferation assay, colony formation assay, flow cytometry analysis, wound-healing assay, transwell assay and in vivo experiments were used to investigate the function of CDH11  in CRC. The mechanisms of CDH11  also were explored by western blots.
Results: Our study suggests that CDH11  downregulation in CRC due to its promoter methylation and induced cell cycle arrest in G0/G1 phase and apoptosis, suppressing tumor cell proliferation, colony formation, migration and invasion by affecting the NF-kB  signaling pathway.
Conclusion: Overall, CDH11  may be considered as a functional tumour suppressor gene (TSG) in CRC, CDH11  has the potential to serve as a valuable prognostic marker for colorectal cancer.
Keywords: cadherin 11, colorectal cancer, methylation, NF-kB, tumour suppressor