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		The sea urchin embryo provides a powerful model system for the study of morphogenesis and cadherin activity. In a study performed by Jeffrey Miller and David McClay, three developmental events where show to be directly related to cadherin molecules: 1) the acquisition of cell polarity in cleavage-stage blastomeres; 2) the epithelial- mesenchymal conversion of epithelial cells to mesodermal derivatives; and 3) the convergent extension movements involved in constructing the archenteron. Their data provided new insight into the function of cadherins during various morphogenetic events and provided building blocks for future experiments exploring cadherin localization and adhesive activity during development. Figure: Early sea urchin embryo performing first cleavage