CLDN2 inhibits the metastasis of osteosarcoma cells via down-regulating the afadin/ERK signaling pathway

Background In an earlier study, we investigated the expression of tight junction protein claudins (CLDNs) in human osteosarcoma (OS) cells, and the CLDN2 was found to be down-regulated in primary tumor cells compared with normal osteoblast cells. Here, we sought to explore the effects of CLDN2 on the malignant phenotype of OS and the underlying molecular mechanisms.