FIGURE 2: EpCAM cleavage and downstream signalization. Cellular contacts, binding of EpEX or another unknown lig- and, lead to the activation of EpCAM cleavage by disintegrin and metalloprotease (ADAM17), and the subsequent release of the soluble EpEx domain in the intercellular space. In a second step, sheddases are acting at several sites in the transmembrane domain and generate Aβ-like fragments and an intracellular domain EpIC. If EpIC has been shown as a signalisation molecule, the functions of Aβ-like fragments are still unknown.