Regulation and expression of E-cadherin and other adhesion molecules were evaluated after exposure to a selective inhibitor of the Src family of tyrosine kinases and inducer of E-cadherin, PP2. E-cadherin is located within the intercellular junction, and it is involved in the management of paracellular permeability of various epithelial barriers in the body. Epithelial cell lines HCT-116, HT29, Caco-2, LS174T, and ARPE-19 were examined for morphological, functional, protein, and mRNA changes following 20 microM PP2 treatment. PP2 treatment caused cell clustering in Caco-2, HT29, and HCT-116 cells. E-cadherin also redistributed to the points of cell contact in Caco-2 cells. These changes suggest increased E-cadherin-dependent cell adhesion. Studies evaluating transepithelial electrical resistance, an established measurement of paracellular permeability, displayed increases in resistance for the Caco-2 cells following PP2 treatment, which correlates with our microscopy data. In addition, E-cadherin protein levels increased for all cells except HCT-116. ARPE-19 cells did not express E-cadherin at the protein or mRNA level. Expression of adhesion molecules varied for the cell lines, and only Claudin 3 mRNA expression was significantly increased in the three intestinal cell lines treated with PP2. Overall, our data suggest that E-cadherin is positively regulated by inhibition of Src tyrosine kinases at the functional and protein expression levels within these epithelial cell lines.