Proliferation and Tumor Suppression: Not Mutually Exclusive for Eph Receptors

Eph receptors are important but controversial regulators of cancer development. A recent study reported in Cell reveals that in the intestinal epithelium, EphB2 enhances proliferation through a kinase-dependent pathway and inhibits migration independent of its kinase activity. These separate pathways simultaneously promote proliferation but suppress invasive growth of intestinal adenomas.