Wnt-5a is a non-transforming Wnt protein that is implicated in cell polarity, adhesion, and motility. We have previously shown that low expression of Wnt-5a is a predictor of shorter disease-free survival in human breast cancer. Here, we investigated whether -catenin/E-cadherin-mediated cell-cell adhesion was affected by loss of Wnt-5a in breast carcinomas, thereby promoting a metastatic behavior of the tumor. We show that Wnt-5a stimulation of human breast epithelial cells leads to an increased Ca 2؉ -dependent cell-cell adhesion. Furthermore, Wnt-5a/casein kinase I␣ (CKI␣)-specific Ser-45 phosphorylation of -catenin is associated with an increased complex formation of -catenin/E-cadherin. Mutation of Ser-45 decreases the -catenin/E-cadherin association. Also, the inhibitory effect of Wnt-5a on breast epithelial cell invasion is reduced upon mutation of -catenin-Ser-45. The Wnt-5a-CKI␣-induced Ser-45 phosphorylation does not lead to degradation of -catenin. Finally we show that human breast cancers lacking Wnt-5a protein have a significantly lower level of membrane-associated -catenin. Down-regulation of Wnt-5a expression and subsequent reduction of membrane-associated -catenin in invasive breast cancer, can therefore contribute to a decreased cell-cell adhesion and increased motility resulting in a higher probability for metastatic disease.In a normal mammary gland the ducts are lined with epithelial cells that are both interconnected and connected to the basement membrane. Mutations in genes encoding adhesion molecules have been implicated in the progression of breast cancer (1). E-cadherin is a transmembrane, calcium (Ca 2ϩ )-dependent adhesion molecule that connects adjacent epithelial cells. The loss of cell-cell adhesion at the original tumor site has been suggested to be related to the loss of E-cadherin expression or function in many epithelial cancers (2). The E-cadherins are dynamically linked to the cytoskeleton via -catenin, plakoglobin, p120, and ␣-catenin (3, 4). Mutations in the E-cadherin gene are frequent in invasive lobular breast cancers, whereas they are absent or might occur at a low frequency in the more common invasive ductal breast carcinomas (5). Despite this, a low membrane expression of -catenin was recently shown to be associated with a poor outcome in human breast cancer patients (6). The question as to whether Wnt -catenin signaling can affect E-cadherin-dependent cellular adhesion, or vice versa, has long been debated (7).-Catenin plays a role both in the -catenin/E-cadherin complex and as a transcriptional regulator in the nucleus upon canonical Wnt signaling (reviewed in Ref. 8). There are therefore three different pools of -catenin; a membrane bound, a cytoplasmic that is constantly being phosphorylated and targeted for ubiquitination and degradation, and a nuclear unphosphorylated form. It has previously been suggested that -catenin targeted to adhesive or transcriptional complexes have distinct molecular forms that would allow it to coordinate the two processes...